


Square One

by Peggystormborn



Series: Every Time...A Karamel Anthology [27]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Even if you don't like Karamel there's plenty of bickering and Mon getting kicked in the balls, F/M, Family that don't know that they're a family, KaraMel, Memory Loss, Portals, Wild goose chase, so enjoy that!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-07-27 15:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20048125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peggystormborn/pseuds/Peggystormborn
Summary: Kara and Mon-El  get accidentally memory wiped and wake up with no recollection of each other, their marriage, and their four children.Can their daughter trick these two married strangers into falling back in love...BEFORE they murder each other?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so for newbies:
> 
> Kara and Mon spent 10 years in the future and came back with 4 kids. 
> 
> Mon has a twin brother who mostly lives on Mars. 
> 
> Winn married Eve. Eve is a good person in this, not like on the show. 
> 
> Nothing in s4 is part of my canon, but it's canon compliant through end of s3.

"Papa Bear!" Winn calls out from the far side of the control room as J'onn J'onzz steps through the transmat portal into the underbelly of the DEO. The Martian trudges heavily across the floor as he makes a beeline upstairs to the main level. "We weren't expecting you home for weeks! How's things on Mars?" Winn falls in step with him, undeterred by his ponderous, plodding, but still rapid cadence. 

J'onn hesitates. It's an effort for him to talk just now, but clearly there's no getting out of this. "Uh...fine. The war continues, but the rebels have gained ground and there's rumblings of a possible insurrection among the hostile White Martian leadership."

"Eltro didn't come back with you?" Winn inquires, with barely veiled concern. Mon-El's identical twin brother, who'd only arrived on Earth less than five years ago, had joined M'gann in her fight against the White Martian leadership there. Their efforts had borne fruit over time, and there was enough hope now for regime change that the younger Daxamite had transitioned to assist the shadow cabinet there, which was preparing a plan to one day conduct free elections and convene an assembly of representatives. 

"No," J'onn replies. "Too much is in flux just now. He's needed there."

"And you're _ not_?" Winn inquires, confused. Though the Green Martian wasn't a full-time resident of his home planet these days, he had been spending extra time there during critical junctures in the war effort. 

J'onn sighs heavily. "I'm…not feeling quite myself."

"What do you mean?" 

J'onn abandons his Hank Henshaw persona and phases into his real form. His green form. Or what _ would _ be his green form, except that today he looks...a _ little _ different than Winn is used to. 

"Whoa. You're kinda…"

"Blue?" 

"Uh, yeah...well, I was gonna say teal, but yeah. What's going on with you?"

The Martian stops walking, and slumps a bit. "I have Li'arr fever. There's been an outbreak of it in our camps. They wanted to quarantine me, but they eventually agreed it would be better to just send me back to Earth."

"Oh. Uh, don't get me wrong, but is it safe for you to be here? I mean, you know, contagious disease and all..."

"Humans can't contract it, only telepathic beings can. It's essentially an inflammation of the part of my brain that transmits psychic energy."

"What, like encephalitis?"

"Something like that. But don't worry, it isn't serious. It will pass on its own in a week or so. Until then, I just need some rest."

"Oh. Okay, well, do you want someone to take you home?"

"No. No, I can manage," the Martian waves his younger friend away. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Winn pressed. You look a tad...fatigued."

"Agent Schott, I am hundreds of years old. I think I can determine for myself whether I'm capable of…"

Just then, J'onn grabs his forehead as a shooting pain strikes him. He hardly has time to cringe before, like a bolt of lightning, it's gone. He looks up at Winn, who's staring blankly.

"Papa Bear!" he says, looking up at his older friend. "When did you get here? And...how did _ I _ get here...I was just over in the…" Winn looks around the main floor in confusion, trying to do the math on what just happened. 

"Oh, my…" J'onn says. "That's not good…"

"What's not good?" Winn asks. 

"You don't remember the last few minutes since I arrived?" 

"Uh...no? But...hey, you're looking kinda...teal. Are you okay?"

"I just explained to you that I have Li'arr fever. And apparently there's a side effect I hadn't anticipated here on Earth."

"Which is?"

"Well, it causes a kind of intermittent energy jolt. A spasm of sorts."

"What, like a psychic sneeze?" 

"That's an apt description, I suppose. But I may be the first Martian ever to be sick with it here on Earth. The spasms aren't troublesome to Martians, but mine seems to have affected your memory just now."

Winn looks around the floor at the other agents, who are going about their business as usual. "Seems like I was the only one."

"Evidently it's only a problem in close proximity. Which means as long as I stay in my apartment I won't be endangering anyone."

"Right, but we need to make sure you get back to your apartment safely," Winn counters. "Which means you'll need an escort. From someone who's not human..."

The sound of two aliens loudly engrossed in conversation breaks Winn's train of thought just then, as Kara and Mon-El come flying in from the balcony and alight on the floor nearby. 

"Why can't you just let it go?" Kara grumpily asks. "I already told you, I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You're exhausted," her husband argues. "You haven't slept in days. You're no good to anyone like this."

"_Excuse _ me?" Kara stops, appalled. "No _ good_? Is that what you said?"

"You know what I meant."

"You _ meant _ to imply I'm some sort of child that needs a babysitter to put me down for naptime."

"Oh, Rao. Of _ course _ that's not what I'm saying, Kara. I'm just asking you to take care of yourself."

"I don't need your help, Mon-El, I can take care of myself just fine. Besides, the yellow sun gives me all the pep I need."

"It's nighttime."

"So? I charged up all day, and there's plenty of sunlight reflecting off the moon."

"Okay, what about the kids?"

"What about them?"

"They've hardly seen you in weeks! Hell, I feel like they've hardly seen _ me _ either, but at least _ I'm _ there for breakfast and dinner, and getting them to school. But you haven't gotten home before bedtime in…I'm not even _ sure _ how long."

"Are you seriously criticizing my _ parenting _ right now?" Kara scoffs angrily.

"NO! That's not what I'm saying at _ all._ I'm just trying to make you understand what everyone is going though. Including me."

"Mon-El, this case is important. The police are getting closer to taking down the syndicate, but in the meantime, they need superpowered backup." It was true. Kara had been on a special assignment assisting the National City Police Department in going after a local drug kingpin, who'd been marketing some souped-up form of PCP that gave the user temporary superpowers. People high on this drug had been causing horrific accidents all over the city, even, in a few cases, inadvertently demolishing buildings. Supergirl had been forced to tag along with the police task force for nearly two months now, protecting police and the rest of the city from out-of-control junkies.

"I know that!" Mon-El responds. "But you always say this family _ is _ the greater good. And right now...Kara, this is a _ really _ rough time. I can't do this by myself. I'm…look, _ I'm _ a mess, too. I'm run ragged with everything going on here at the DEO and at home. But at least I'm getting in an hour or two of shuteye every night. Or, most nights anyway."

"Do you think I'm _ happy _ about this? _ Obviously _ I hate missing out on time with my family. But there's not a whole lot I can do about it and the last thing I need to hear is you complaining about having to take care of your own children."

"Complaining? _ That's _ what you're getting from this conversation?!"

"Uh, pretty much, yeah. So just...suck it up and deal, okay?"

"Suck it _ up_?!"

"Yes!"

"Wow. Uh, okay. Great talk," the Daxamite turns to walk away, seeing he's getting nowhere here. "Guess I'll head home and, you know, the kids and I will see you about a quarter to never, and you'll be here. _ Not _ getting the sleep you clearly desperately need."

"I do not _ desperately _ need sleep. I already told you, I'm _ fine_." Kara baits, which stops him in his tracks. He turns back toward her, an incredulous look on his face. 

"Oh, okay, you're _ fine._ Sure. So you _ haven't _ been biting everyone's heads off around here, then?" 

"What? No!" 

Mon-El addresses the room. "Right, show of hands, how many people here think Supergirl should go home tonight and sleep?"

Every hand in the room quickly shoots up, even J'onn and Winn, though a few timidly creep back down when Kara flashes her angriest stinkeye at them. 

"See?" he gloats.

"Oh, shut up, _ Daxamite_."

"No. Actually, I don't think I will. In fact, you know what? I always respect your agency and your decisions. Always. But just this once, _ Kryptonian_, I'm putting my foot down."

Kara can't help but laugh dismissively at this. "Um, I'm sorry…you're putting your _ foot _ down?"

"Yes. I'm putting my foot down. Right...here." He plants his left boot directly in front of her and steps close.

"...Whyyyy?" She looks up at him, one eyebrow raised, wondering where this is going. Despite her annoyance, she can't help but be curious. 

"So I can do _ this_," he replies, matter-of-factly, as he bends over and speedily sweeps her up over his shoulder like a fireman and heads toward the exit. She screams in shock as she realizes what's happening, and angrily pounds on the back of his shoulder with her fists. Though she's obviously not actually trying to hurt him. Much. 

He winces anyway. She is, after all, somewhat stronger than him.

"What in Rao's name do you think you're _ doing_?!" she yells.

"Taking your stubborn ass home to bed," he responds with determination. 

"Like _ hell _ you are! Put me _ down_!"

"Make me!" 

They're already halfway back up the stairs when Kara decides to call his bluff. She winds up her left foot and…

"OWWWW!" The red-clad hero screams as he collapses to the floor, hands cupping his crotch as he doubles over in pain. 

"Serves you right," she crosses her arms over her chest as she floats over him, an undeniable look of satisfaction on her face. 

"I think we've all had _ enough _ of this," J'onn booms across the atrium, as best he can in his condition. 

Mon-El, still recovering from a super ball-kick, does his best to pick himself up off the floor, while Kara sets down next to him. Both refuse to even look at each other, still bubbling with irritation. 

J'onn and Winn approach the duo as though they've come upon a couple of rattlesnakes set to strike. 

"Uh, hey guys," Winn timidly starts. "Listen, J'onn is not feeling so hot, and he needs to stay home until he's better. I didn't think he should go alone, so can one of you guys take him?"

"I'll go," both say in unison. Each of them, clearly, had been hoping to use the opportunity to get out of Dodge. They glare at each other, annoyance ratcheting up another notch. 

"_Both _ of you are coming," J'onn says. "Maybe I can talk some sense into the two of you on the way."

The two supers groan, but don't argue with their shared father figure. The Martian tries to levitate, somewhat shakily, which causes Kara and Mon-El to instinctively shake off their anger and switch to "concerned surrogate children" mode. 

"Whoa, okay, yeah…let's get you home and fix you right up, okay?" Kara says, as Mon-El nods along. J'onn rolls his eyes but acquiesces, and the two younger aliens each take an arm as they fly out into the city. 

After they arrive at J'onn's apartment, Kara heats up some soup for him, despite his many protestations that it's not that kind of illness and therefore won't help. Mon-El, meanwhile, makes sure he has enough pillows and blankets. Which, he again argues, aren't really necessary. Though, secretly, despite his ostensible grumpiness with their fussing, deep down he enjoys the attention. Just a little. 

"Okay, so...I guess you have everything you need," Kara says at last, finally satisfied that he's settled. "But give a call if you want us to pick up anything. Magazine, whatever. Feel better, okay?"

"Oh, _ no _ you don't. You're not getting away that easily," the Martian grumbles, from under his bedcovers. " _ You two _ are both acting like children. Sit down and let's talk this out."

The two younger aliens both huff a little, then reluctantly sit down on opposite edges of the bed. 

"Look, we're sorry for that...display back at the DEO." Mon-El finally starts. 

"_I'm _ not sorry," Kara shrugs almost haughtily. 

"You kicked me in the balls!" her husband glares, appalled. 

"So? You had it coming."

"Lovely," Mon-El shakes his head, just done. "Well, I hope you don't want to have any more children, because I think you ruptured something down there."

"Number one," Kara counts a finger**. ** "Your testicles of steel are just fine, you big baby, and number two, I'm not going _ near _ those things any time soon at this rate, so I don't think getting me pregnant again is a huge concern right now."

"Grife," rolling his eyes dramatically, the Daxamite crosses his arms and folds them over his chest, turning away from her. 

"All right, let's just all calm down, please. You're both very stressed and you're clearly exhausted, and you're lashing out at each other when you should be working together to try to find a way to work all this out." 

"What's to work out?" Kara flops her hands down to her sides in frustration. "I have a job to do, my husband doesn't want me to do it."

"I just want you to get some goddamned _ sleep _ and maybe find five minutes to come home and see your children!" Mon-El is on the verge of yelling.

"I can't! I have superhero stuff to do, and you know it!" 

"So take a day off from CatCo, then!" 

"I'm not sacrificing my career…"

"I'm not _ asking _ you to! But something's gotta give, Kara! As it is, I have to take the day off from the DEO tomorrow since the twins got suspended, and..."

"Wait, what?! What happened?!"

Mon-El groans. "They're much smarter than average nine year olds, so they got bored at school and snuck down to the computer lab to play video games, when they were supposed to be in class."

"They suspended them for _ that_?"

"It's a third offense." 

"Um, when _ exactly _ were you going to tell me our children are juvenile delinquents?!"

"I'm telling you now! It's not like I've had the chance any time recently! And between that, and superheroing, and work, and Allie being constantly snarky and disrespectful and wanting to spend all her time with her friends, and poor John hardly getting any attention at all…"

"Enough!" J'onn barks, rubbing his temples. "This isn't just about the kids. You've been through stressful times before but I've never seen you bicker like this. At least not since the very early days of your relationship. That fight had during the Mxyzptlyk incident was legendary. But...we need to get to the root of how you're both feeling now, aside from everything that's weighing on you. So...just _ forget _ about all that for a moment. Forget about the children, and all your responsibilities...you know what? Forget about each _ other _ for just a second and…"

Before he can continue, J'onn feels that pain in his head again. But this time, it's worse. _ Much _ worse. Clearly in distress, Kara and Mon-El both instinctively reach for him. He feels the pressure swell in his mind until…

"Aaarrrgghh!"

Like a psychic bomb exploding, a massive energy pulse radiates outward from the Martian, and he collapses back onto the bed. 

So, too, do both the younger aliens, struck by the force of the telepathic blast. Kara teeters over the edge of the bed onto the floor. The last thing she sees is Mon-El keeling over as well. 

"Kara…" she hears her husband say, before darkness descends upon her. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Mon-El both wake up very, VERY confused. 
> 
> One more canon addition for newbies: Alex eventually gets married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I had to fit in a lot of stuff that the reader already knows, but Karamel don't. So I hope it's not too much wading through plot exposition. It was necessary. 
> 
> Enjoy!

_ What the hell? _ Mon-El wonders as he comes to. He looks down at his outfit. Red, form-fitting, with blue boots and...is this a _ cape_? _ What_? 

There's also a ring on his finger which looks like nothing he's ever seen. It's emblazoned with a large letter L, though he can't think what it could mean. Baffled, he looks around at his strange surroundings. He's tired and his muscles feel a bit weary, but that's to be expected after undergoing hypersleep in the pod…

_ The pod… _

_Oh, grife. Where is it?_ Slowly, panic growing, he drags himself to his feet. There's a bed next to him, with a bluish-green skinned alien lying in it that Mon-El has never seen before. The man is asleep, though. And there's a door. As he starts to walk toward it he realizes there's another person on the ground on the other side of the bed. A person wearing a Kryptonian glyph. 

Am I on Krypton? Or one of their ships? Have I been kidnapped? He struggles to remember what happened. All he recalls is fire raining down, his guard...a gun…being shoved into the pod…

...It's too much. He takes one last look at the unconscious woman on the floor...he doesn't know why, but he hesitates for a moment at the sight of her golden hair spilling onto the carpet, before shaking off this strange feeling and exiting the room. Quickly. 

_ Very _ quickly, in fact. 

_ Seriously, what the HELL?! _ He wonders, as he runs out into the street and past people who look more or less like him, but who appear to be moving in slow motion. 

_ Okay…interesting._..

********

When Kara wakes up, she's similarly confused. 

"Wha…" she starts as she picks herself up off the floor. "_J'onn_?" 

She attempts to rouse the Martian from his apparent slumber, but it's no use. Panicking, she grabs her phone from her boot...wait, this isn't her phone. It looks like a newer model. That's...weird. But she tries her usual code, and it works. She scrolls to see Alex's number and dials. 

"Kara? What's wrong?" Alex says as she picks up. 

"Something strange is going on. I'm here with J'onn and he's...he's asleep, and…"

"Oh, good. I'm glad he's getting some rest," Alex replies. "Winn told me he was sick. Are you there taking care of him?"

"I...maybe? Alex...something is weird. I don't remember how I got here."

"Shit, really? Wow. Well, Winn did say he was briefly affected by memory loss due to some sort of intermittent psychic episode J'onn keeps having. It's odd, I'm really surprised you aren't immune to it. But it shouldn't have blacked out too much time, Winn only lost a few minutes. So he sent you to take J'onn home and make sure he gets some rest."

"Oh. Okay. I guess that must be it," Kara replies. Though this doesn't really explain the phone, or why Kara doesn't have any memory of this apartment.

"Oh, by the way, the Missus is gonna stop by later and drop off some of those lemon bars you guys like."

_Missus who?_ Kara wonders. _And...what does she mean by 'you guys'?_

She's too exhausted to contemplate it further, though. So she just says, "Thanks, Alex."

"Sure. Say, aren't you due back at CatCo? Your lunch hour must be past over by now. Just let J'onn sleep, I'll call and check on him later."

"Right, yeah. See you." 

_ Lunch hour_? Kara looks out the window. It's daylight. That's for sure. But...the last thing she remembers is opening a bottle of champagne, making a toast. _ To family, love bonds us all... _

...oh, and kissing James...who she probably needs to have a follow-up conversation with. _ As in...are you my boyfriend now? _ At the very least, going on as actual date would be nice.

_ I guess that all happened last night? _ She wonders to herself. Clearly she's lost more than a few minutes of time, hours presumably. But she's Supergirl, surely things will come back to her soon, right? 

Still disoriented, Kara grabs the bag next to her on the floor, which contains a set of work clothes. She changes into them before heading to the office. 

When she gets there, though, she sees a young man sitting at her desk. Slightly put off, she walks up and stands before him, tapping her feet until he looks up from his screen. 

"Uh...Hi. Do you need something?" he asks. 

"Um, yeah. My desk. Don't you...I dunno, have somewhere else you need to be?" she asks. 

Like a lightbulb going off, the young man gasps. 

"Oh, crap! I forgot to pick up the layouts from downstairs! Thanks!"

With that, he takes off at a run, leaving Kara watching him with one eyebrow raised. _ Weirdo. Must be some new intern_. She sits down in the seat he just vacated, and tries to log in. 

Just then, the elevator doors open. Kara turns, expecting to see Cat Grant, but instead a dark-haired, well-dressed woman emerges, currently occupied by clicking through her cell phone.

"Hi, Bryce," the woman says, breezing by without looking up. "Thanks for getting me those earnings projections, and do me a favor, make sure Mr. Olsen and I aren't disturbed for an hour or so, okay? Thank you." 

Kara--overwhelmed with shock first by the fact that some strange woman has used Ms. Grant's elevator without permission, and is now entering her office without so much as announcing herself--just stands there, speechless. 

Her jaw drops ever further as she watches through the glass as said woman walks over to Ms. Grant's_ desk and plops down on the lap of...James?! What the hell is James even doing sitting at Ms. Grant's desk?! _

Kara's heart just about stops.

..._Aaaaand now they're kissing_...

_ ...Wait, WHAT?!?! _

Horrified and somewhat sickened, Kara turns and storms out of the office, fighting back tears as she changes back into her supersuit and heads for the DEO. 

_ Men,_ she thinks. _ You think you know someone, but they're all the same, aren't they? _

She flies through the cave, dodging a bat or two, into the underground structure where she expects to find throngs of agents, and her sister. Her sister, who will bring her ice cream and let her cry on her shoulder and echo back to her that men are all useless pigs. 

Instead, there's nothing. Just a shell. And pitch blackness. Everything's been stripped down, ripped out. She sees in the dim light some remnants of the old foundation, some loose screws and concrete dust here and there, but nothing else. Just a dark cave. 

What is happening? She's lost half a day of her memory, at least, James was making out with Rao knows who at CatCo, and now the DEO is just...missing?

Is she in the wrong universe? Is this another Black Mercy dream? Or...has she lost a lot more time than she thought?

Starting to panic now, she begins to hyperventilate a little. Forcing herself to try and be calm, she flies back out into the sun and decides to head home. She'll just regroup there, and call Alex, and they'll figure all this out together. 

Her apartment. At last. At least _ that's _ still here. She opens the window and lands on the floor. Her old tables, her blue fridge. She sighs with momentary relief. But then...no...this isn't right, either. Where are her paintings? Her lamps? Her orange clock? 

She frantically looks around. Okay, there's a framed picture of her and Winn. Good. All right. But then on another wall...a different photo. Winn standing in a tux, with some woman in a wedding dress. She sees herself in some kind of hideous yellow flowered thing...standing next to the woman she just saw at CatCo. The James-kissing one. James is in the photo too, along with a good-looking man in glasses holding a small boy on his hip. Two little girls in matching yellow dresses stand in front of the group. 

What the _ hell_?!

She looks at the bedroom. Not her bedspread. Not her clothes. Not her books. Not her...hand-assembled model of the Starship Enterprise?

_ Winn _ lives here. With...his wife, apparently? 

She redials Alex. 

"Kar…" Alex starts. 

"Alex, what year is it?" Kara cuts her off.

"What?" Alex balks. "Why would you…"

"Please, for the love of _ God_, Alex, just tell me what year it is."

"Kara...it's 2025."

_ Oh, Rao, help me… _

********

He walks on the street for a bit before realizing everyone is staring at him. A few people smile and wave. One person asks to take a "selfie," whatever the hell _ that _ is. It's the clothes, clearly. He sticks out like a sore thumb here...wherever _ here _ is. 

Eventually, he speeds out to a rural area where there are fewer people. Spotting a house with clothes drying on a line in the rear yard, he decides to take the opportunity to make himself less conspicuous. He speeds up, and grabs a grey tee shirt and a pair of these strange blue pants he sees everyone wearing. They fit well enough, so he sends a mental apology to their owner. Hoping he can somehow make amends later. He's not a thief, after all. But these are extraordinary circumstances. As he's pulling the shirt over his head he realizes there's a fine chain around his neck. A beautiful pendant with a blue stone hangs from it. He somehow feels it must be important, and the urge to hide it--to keep it safe--rushes through him, though he can't fathom why. He tucks it under the shirt, making sure the chain doesn't peek out.

He hides his red and blue outfit under a nearby shed, noticing at the last moment that there's a small patch affixed near the shoulder of it. A Kryptonian glyph? Like the one he saw the woman wearing? _Why?_

This doesn't make sense. He must have been wearing someone else's clothes for some reason. Rao knows he wouldn't have been caught dead in that hideous monstrosity back on Daxam. Unless there intent was to give his parents a mutual heart attack, in which case it might have been worth it. 

He considers removing the ring, but he senses somehow that it's important. Valuable. Plus, maybe he can trade it for something he needs, down the road. 

He sees a large hill in the distance, and decides to climb up it so he can get the lay of the land. But no sooner does he think the word "up" then he rapidly lifts into the air, feet dangling helplessly below him. 

Panicking, all he can think is "down." And down he goes, slamming into the ground. 

Okay...so that's another thing I can apparently do on this weird yellow-sunned planet. Not to mention...the impact with the ground didn't hurt him at all. No bruising, no scrapes or cuts, nothing. 

_ I could get used to this. _

That said, it was probably best if he found a way to contact home. His parents might be scouring the galaxy looking for him. Who knows what kind of destruction they might inflict on unsuspecting planets while trying to track him down. 

Taking a deep breath, he tries to think "up," and succeeds. Floating just below the clouds, he spies something in the distance. Something with several large dishes on top, pointed up toward space. 

He isn't quite sure how to make himself go forward, but after a half an hour or so of trial and error, he eventually sorts out that he can just sort of "think" in a particular direction, and move himself. Even more quickly than running, in fact. 

He whooshes off, lands near the front of the facility, and speeds in the front door. He stops somewhere in the main lab area, where he sees a man with black hair and some kind of transparent eye protectors over the bridge of his nose. 

"Hey! Don't be scared, I just need some help with something," he starts, causing the man to spit out the sip of coffee he's just ingested.

The man turns and stares at him, incredulous. "Oh, man. Not _ you _ again," he groans. 

"What do you mean, _ 'me _ again,'" Mon-El replies. "You're saying we've met before?" 

"Uh, yeah, when you made me send a signal to your home world. Like, _ forever _ ago. Do you seriously not remember that? You and Supergirl trashed a bunch of _ really _ expensive equipment, you know. Do you have _ any _ idea what a hassle it is to file an insurance claim for damage caused by freaking Kryptonians and Daxamites?"

_ He already knows where I'm from? _ Mon-El wonders. _ He's...telling the truth? I've been here before? _

_ How long have I been on this planet? _

"Wait...Kryptonians?" Mon-El attempts to clarify things.

"Yeah, you know. Your super girlfriend or whatever."

"Girlfriend?"

"Yeah. I mean, whatever you guys call yourselves. Or maybe you don't wanna label it, hey, I'm not judging."

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

The man rolls his eyes. "Sure, dude. I know, officially you guys say you're not a thing, but...it's pretty obvious. So, whatever you're doing here, why don't you go bother some _ other _ observatory. I've got work to do."

"Wait...the signal you sent...the other time I asked…did anyone receive it?"

The man quirks an eyebrow at him, then turns back to his work. "You mean _ other _ than the army of Daxamites that invaded Earth and had to be driven away with a lead bomb? Uh, no. Not that I know of. But, hey, there's lots of things I don't know, including why you're still _ here_. And how the hell you're even _ breathing _ on this planet."

"Breathing?" 

"Dude, what is _ wrong _ with you? Yeah, breathing. Because of the lead particles from the aforementioned bomb that Supergirl set off. The one that killed their crazy ass queen. Queen...Rhea. I think. Or whatever."

_ Killed… _

His guts clench painfully. His mother..._died _ on this planet? Died trying to bring him home. Died because of him. At the hands of this...Supergirl person, whoever _ she _ is. He recalls the beautiful woman her saw when he woke up. The beautiful woman with a Kryptonian glyph on her chest. _Was that her? _

_ And Father?_ "...What about the King?" he asks.

"What about him? I never saw anything about him in the news other than he was already dead when the whole big battle went down…"

_ Dead...oh, Rao... _

Mon-El feels a heaviness all over his body, but nowhere more than in his head. His ears are ringing, and he feels like he's hearing all this from underwater. He's afraid to know more, but at the same time…

"News?" he manages. "Where do you see...that...on this planet?"

"Um. The planet Earth, you mean? I dunno, wherever. The only specific thing I remember seeing about it on TV back then was that CatCo lady…"

When the man looks back, he realizes Mon-El is already gone. 

"Psh," the scientist rolls his eyes. "Supers are so _ dramatic_."


	3. Chapter 3

Kara sits in the med bay at the DEO, tears spilling down her face. Alex is with her, stroking her hair and trying to keep her calm. 

"So, J'onn finally answered his phone, thank God," Winn says, entering the room. "He said for now just keep her here in isolation. Until we can figure out how to get her memories back." 

"But...we _ can_, though, right?" Kara asks hopefully. "I mean, I'm not going to be stuck without nine years of my life_…am _ I?"

"No. We will fix this, I promise. For now, let's just do what J'onn says, until he gets here."

"He isn't coming, though," Winn explains. "He can't risk accidentally erasing more people. He's gotta stay isolated in his apartment."

"Damn it," Alex huffs. "Okay, Kara, then just sit tight for now. I'm gonna huddle with Winn for a minute, okay?"

Kara nods as Alex shepherds Winn outside and down the hall, where she hopes the lead lined walls of this place will put her out of earshot. 

"All right, so what did J'onn say we have to do?" Alex whispers, a bit too loudly.

"We can't tell them about their lives. If they learn too much, it could short circuit their brains and lead to memories being lost permanently," he explains. "We can give them hints to encourage their underlying feelings to surface, _that_ might help, but they have to remember on their own." 

"Wait, what do you mean _ they_?" 

"Kara and Mon-El."

"Wait, he's affected, too? How do you know?" 

"Well," Winn explains. "I sent them _ both _ home with J'onn. They were with him when this...thing...happened. And when J'onn woke up they were both gone."

"So he's out there, somewhere, and we have no idea what he knows about his life?" 

"Basically. What's the last thing Kara remembers?" 

"That night after she defeated Non, when we had champagne at her apartment and James kissed her."

"Hold on, wasn't that, like, _ right _ before…"

"Mon-El's pod fell to Earth? Yeah." 

"That's...a weird coincidence. It's like she's blocked out her entire life since the moment he arrived here. You think maybe it's the same for him?"

"Maybe, but if so, that would mean…"

"...Oh boy. E.T. is gonna try and phone home."

"Let's roll."

********

They're waiting for him when he exits the Observatory. 

"Freeze!" The agents call out as they roll up. "Hands in the air!"

Startled, Mon-El does as they say, before Winn steps out in front of his tactical-gear-bedecked brethren.

"Whoa, whoa there guys! He's not an enemy combatant, he's one of us." Winn turns to Mon-El, apologetically. "Sorry about that. I know you can't remember, but we're friends, I promise. No one is going to hurt you."

"Friends? Who _ are _ you?" the Daxamite responds. 

"It's...hard to explain. But we will, I promise. We just need you to come with us."

"Come with you where?"

"The place where...we sort of..._work _ together."

"I...have a job here? On this planet? That's what you're telling me? How long have I _ been _ here?" 

"Uh...a while. Look, I know it doesn't make much sense, but…"

"Do you know _ her_, too?"

"Who?" 

"...Supergirl."

"Super...yes! Good! You remember her! That's good news. Yes, she works there, too."

Mon-El balls his fists and speeds past all of them before Winn even knows what happened. 

"Damn it," Alex says, coming up from behind. "_Now _ what?" 

"Relax, we know he isn't gonna hurt anyone."

"He's scared, Winn. And he's...not _ himself._"

"I know, but he's smart, and resourceful, and a good guy. He never hurt anyone when he first came here and he won't now."

Alex sighs, relenting. "Yeah, okay. But...where would he go?"

"Ooh! Duh, I can track him with my Legion ring." Winn pulls his own ring out and brings up a virtual map. "Looks like he's headed for...huh…"

"What?" 

"...CatCo."

********

"Winn, what are you _ talking _ about?" James says over the phone to his friend. "I don't understand what's going on...I got a call from Eliza asking me to pick up Allie from school because Mon-El didn't show up to get her, and now you're telling me he's on his way here, but I have to, what, _ hide _ her? From her own _ father_? Why?"

He doesn't get an answer to that question, because just then there's a ruckus emanating from the direction of the bullpen. 

"Whoa! Sir, look, if you want to read the news, you have to deal with the paywall like everyone else." Bryce, James's newest assistant, attempts to keep Mon-El from barging in. 

"Winn? Gotta go, he just showed up. Allie, honey, don't move from that spot, okay?" James says, abruptly hanging up on Winn and plunking the child down in his desk chair, turning it towards his wall of TVs. "Here. Watch...SpongeBob or whatever."

"I'm eleven. I haven't watched SpongeBob in years. And I can see my Dad out there. Why can't I talk to him?" 

"Look, I don't know exactly what's going on either, but right now Uncle Winn says you have to stay out of sight. But we'll figure it out, okay? Trust me?"

"Okay. I trust you. I'll wait here."

Nodding, James sprints out his office door and walks up to his friend. "Hi, uh...Mike. Guess you forgot your glasses?" James attempts to prompt. 

"Mike? I'm not...I think you have me confused with someone else. Look, I just want some information. I was told there might be someone here that can tell me what happened during the Daxamite invasion."

James stares blankly at his friend for a moment, as he catches on. _ He doesn't remember me. Or Allie. So it's a safe bet he's forgotten Kara, too. _

_ Shit._

"Right...well, I can tell you whatever you need to know. Why don't we take a walk? I'll buy you a drink, how's that?"

Mon-El looks James up and down with a wary eye, but agrees. He hasn't had anything to eat or drink since he woke up, and all this speed running has made him pretty thirsty. They head down to Noonan's and have a seat at the bar. James orders Mon-El a club soda, and the alien sips down the bubbly refreshment. Though a big part of him was hoping for something with a bit more kick to it, it hits the spot in a strange, almost familiar way, and he wonders if all humans are adept at guessing what sort of drinks aliens they've just met might like. 

Or...perhaps his new acquaintance knows more than he's letting on.

"So…what do you want to know, exactly?" James starts.

"Just…what happened. When the Daxamites invaded."

"...Because you're a Daxamite."

Mon-El bows his head slightly, unsure how to respond. "My understanding was that all the Daxamites were driven away. Because of the air? Or something?" 

"That's...correct."

"So what makes you think I could be one of them? Since they can't breathe on Earth, right?"

"Well, you're clearly new to this planet. Most people would just go on the internet to find something like this out. And I can't think of any reason why you'd be clamoring for information about them. People around these parts generally just want to forget they ever came here."

"I take it...they weren't popular?" Mon-El nods, understanding. _ So my mother left quite the impression here. Sounds about right. _

"You could say that."

"What would _ you _ say?"

James considers his next move. "I would say you're someone that needs some help. And...maybe a friend?"

"...Is _ that _ what you are?" Mon-El looks at James with suspicion.

"I'm a man who really wants to give you all the answers you're looking for, but can't. At least, not yet."

"Why not?" 

"Because obviously something _ very _ weird is going on here, as I suspect you already know, and the person I trust more than anyone in the world seems to think that telling you too much might cause some kind of harm. Possibly to _ you._ So look, how about I take you somewhere where you can get some real help, okay?"

"Why should I trust you? I just met you."

James holds back a smile. "...Well, how about this? If it doesn't work out, I'll make it up to you with a bottle of Zakkarian ale, okay?"

Mon-El leans back in his chair, with some amount of shock evident on his face. "...You seem to have quite the knack for determining what kinds of drinks I like..."

"_Do _ I, now? Lucky guesser, I suppose." He flashes a knowing eye at his memory-challenged friend.

Taking a deep breath, Mon-El finally accepts that this may be his only chance to figure all this out.

"...Okay. Thank you."

"Any time, friend."

********

When they walk in the front door of the DEO, James spots a pint sized blonde hanging out off to the side with Dana and Vasquez, and shoots her an incredulous look as she rolls her eyes and shrugs. 

As they approach the CIC, Mon-El spies the man he spoke to earlier today. 

"Whoa, whoa…I know him…"

"You do?"

"He said he works with this...Supergirl...person."

"Uh, what...exactly...do you know about her?"

Mon-El shifts his feet slightly. "I was told she...killed someone. Someone I was close to."

"Whoa, I don't know what you heard, but Supergirl definitely isn't a murderer. Look, I know this is a crazy situation, but you can trust everyone here. I promise."

"I'm…I'm not sure about this. These people already pointed weapons at me today."

"Yeah, well, firearms plus paramilitary organizations tend to equal knee jerk reactions. If they wanted to hurt you, they would have given it a go by now. Besides, you've probably deduced that you have some...abilities on this planet. You're not defenseless here. Look, I'm gonna go talk to some people, and you should give them a chance to fix...whatever this is. Okay? I'm not leaving, I promise."

Mon-El nods as James turns to walk away. Then something occurs to him. "Wait...I still don't even know your name."

James lets himself smile this time. "That's okay. You will soon enough."

Mon-El lets out a small half-hearted chuckle. He realizes it's the first time he's laughed since he's been on this planet. That he knows of, anyway. 

James turns his attention to Allie as he walks away from the Daxamite. 

"What are you doing here? I told you to stay put," he scolds. "You're lucky he didn't notice you when he came in."

"Uncle Winn filled me in, and I want to help. They're my parents, after all."

"Your par...wait...Kara, too?"

"Yes. Papa J'onn accidentally whammied them and they can't remember each other."

"Okay, that explains some things. How do we fix it?"

"We can't. They...have to figure it out on their own."

"What, so they're just...stuck like this?"

"Until they remember that they love each other."

"Aw, man. How long do you think it'll take?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Whether I can get in there and intervene before they strangle each other to death."

"You? Honey, you're just a…"

Allie cuts him off by groaning loudly. "Urgh! Adults. I swear, do you people _ ever _ learn?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just your usual boy-from-Daxam-meets-girl-from-Krypton-he-doesn't-remember-is-his-wife story
> 
> Kara and Mon-El's second stab at meet-cuting is not particularly cute.

"Hey! You told me you were going to _ help _ me!" Mon-El protests as the door to his cell slams shut behind him. 

"I know it doesn't seem that way, but we _ are _ helping you," Winn declares, with some embarrassment. "Look, like I said, we have to minimize your risk of finding things out."

"I thought finding things out was the whole _ point _ of this!"

"No, the point is for your memories to come back naturally. Can't force it."

"So that's it? Just sit here and wait by myself?"

"You're _ not _ by yourself," Winn cheerily smiles, and turns toward the door, whistling an odd, jaunty tune as he exits. For a moment, Mon-El could swear he's heard the melody before (_I'm your...something...friend?_), but there's no time to dwell on it now. 

"Unbelievable," the Daxamite scoffs, before glancing around at his surroundings. 

The first thing he notices is a golden haired form facing the wall, wrapped in a red blanket, dozing away on the cot in the corner. The second thing he notices is that there's only one toilet. Hmm...

_Wait...golden hair…it's_ _her_!

"YOU!" he can't help but exclaim, louder than he meant to. 

"Whaaa…?" She startles awake, jolting upright. "What the hell...how did I get in _ here_? I was just lying down in the med bay..." she murmurs as she looks around, baffled by what she sees. 

"Apparently taking naps in strange places is a hobby of yours" Mon-El snarks. 

Spine straightening as it dawns on her that her cell mate is a stranger, she slowly tilts her head up to gaze at him. "Who _ are _ you?" she asks. 

"That depends. Are you...her? Supergirl?"

She stands up, reading his somewhat hostile tone. "I am. Who wants to know?" 

He takes a deep breath. "The man whose mother you killed."

"_Killed_?" Kara nearly gasps, taken aback by his accusation. "Uh, no. I think you've been misinformed. I don't kill people."

"Never? Not once?" _ Yeah, right, Kryptonian. _

"Well...okay, _once_ I had to kill my uncle. But that was…that was an _ extraordinary _ situation."

"Oh, so I see. You're flexible on the whole 'killing people' thing. And family members to boot. Got it." He flashes her a sarcastic double thumbs up.

"You don't know anything _ about _ me. I'll have you know I'm a _ hero _ on this planet. And I certainly haven't been involved in the death of anyone's mother…" she stops, looking up at the ceiling and scratching her chin. "I mean...I think…but, no...there's no way…"

"Wait, what do you mean you _ think_?!"

"I'm…sort of...missing some of my memories," she grudgingly concedes. 

"Ah. Well, there seems to be an epidemic of that."

"Oh. You, too?" She raises one eyebrow at him.

"Apparently."

"So...okay. Maybe they locked us both in here so we can help each other. Who was your mother?"

He hesitates for a moment, though he's not entirely sure why. 

"Queen Rhea of Daxam," he finally says. 

"DAXAM?!" she practically screams. "You're a _ Daxamite_?! Holy Rao, no wonder you're so rude."

"_I'm _ rude? You're the one who just made a blanket statement about my entire planet."

"Which was clearly warranted! And...wait…your mother was Queen, so...you're the PRINCE of Daxam?!"

"Worked that one out all by yourself, did you?"

"Oh, _ very _ nice. Well, your reputation is clearly well earned, Mr. Frat Boy of the Universe. So congratulations, you're just as awful as my people always said you were."

"Right, because Krypton was just a perfect place full of perfect people who look down on everyone else," he huffs. "Maybe _ I'm _ the one who should be calling _ you _ Your Highness, Princess."

"We did not look _ down _ on everyone else."

"No? Just us royals, then? Because being a member of a privileged noble house, judging by your stupid, self-righteous, glyph-covered outfit--yeah, that's _ totally _ different."

Kara scoffs audibly. "It is!" 

"Oh, really? Tell that to the rankless. You know, those lower class people forced to do your planet's dirty work."

Kara's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as she huffs indignantly. "I...at least we didn't have _ slavery _ on Krypton. You...you benefitted from that whole system!"

He stops and glares at her. "You have absolutely _ no _ idea what my life was like on Daxam. Don't you _ dare _ judge me. Especially since, per your earlier admission, you don't even know whether you're the one that killed my mother or not!"

"I. DON'T. KILL. PEOPLE!" 

"Except blood relatives, right?"

"He was _ not _ a blood relative!"

"Oh, that makes it okay, then." He mockingly shrugs at her. 

"He was in the middle of trying to murder everyone on this planet! What was I _ supposed _ to do, huh?"

He deflates at her words._ I guess that's a pretty good reason_, he thinks. 

"Was that what happened with my mother?" he wonders as he turns toward the wall, though he doesn't expect a definitive answer. "I know she...wasn't a good person. Someone I talked to earlier…implied that she and my people might have…caused harm to this planet." He hangs his head, irritation giving way to shame.

Kara looks at him, surprised but still wary. "I…honestly don't know. I guess...I guess it's possible. Look, if I did, then…I'm sorry. For your loss. And...for what happened to Daxam. My parents…my people...made terrible mistakes. And your world paid the price, I know that."

"...Thank you," he says, a bit taken aback. "That's...more than I expected." 

They stand in awkward silence for a moment. 

"Do you…can you tell me, what _ did _ happen to Daxam? I mean if my mother came here...it must mean…"

Kara takes a deep breath. For some reason she hates the idea of being the one to tell him this. "I'm sorry. When Krypton exploded, the debris rained down on Daxam."

"Yeah, that much I know. It's why I got the hell out of there."

She steps closer, lowering her voice. "Some of the larger masses struck Daxam's moon, disrupting the planet's magnetic field. After that, it was ravaged by solar storms." She takes a deep breath, trying to find the will to continue as she sees the heartbreak written on his face. "Daxam is still there, but...it's a wasteland now. I'm so sorry. Your planet, my planet...they're gone."

She looks down, to realize her hand is holding his, though she has no recollection of how it got there. She quickly, awkwardly snaps it away, a red blush creeping across her cheeks. 

He gulps heavily, inexplicably finding himself mourning the feel of her fingers intertwined with his, matching the aching grief he feels for his home world. "I guess that's not really much of a surprise, given everything I've picked up here already."

"Look," she says after what feels like ages of watching him, wanting to make those tears in his eyes go away. Though she tells herself it's just because something terrible happened to him (she'd feel the same empathy for anyone in this situation, no matter how big a jerk they were, of course she would) and because she needs him to focus on trying to get out of their current predicament. "Can we just...call a truce and try to figure out why they locked us in here, and what to do now?" 

"Fine," he croaks, pulling himself together. "The one guy, Winn…? I think? He said they were keeping us here until our memories return naturally. I guess...they seem to think something bad could happen if they tell us the truth."

"About what we've missed, you mean."

"Yeah. Do you know how much time you've lost?"

"Yes. Nine years."

"Nine _years_?! Are you _serious_? Holy Rao…" he puts his head in his hands, trying to comprehend it all. "That could mean...I've been here for ages, that I've had a life that I can't remember…" He wonders if there's anyone in this planet that's looking for him._ Friends? Family, even? _He shakes his head at the thought_. No…that's not likely, not with his history. But that Winn person said I worked here. With...her… _He glances over at this strange woman who's come into his life. Or, possibly…has already been part of it. Well, if that's the case, it wouldn't be his first time dealing with unpleasant people for extended periods. 

"I know," she sighs. "Look, maybe we should…"

Just then, the outer door to the containment area opens, and a young girl walks in. She approaches the side console, taps a code, and the door swings wide open. 

"Come on, let's go, you two," the child says coolly. 

"Um…_who _ are you?" Kara wonders. 

"She's probably your daughter. She looks _ exactly _ like you," Mon-El says, as both females turn annoyed gazes at him. "Right down to the forehead crinkle," he mutters this last part under his breath. 

"What?! That's crazy. I don't have a _ daughter_," she turns toward the girl and mouths, "Do I?"

"Well, they said you're missing nine years of memories, right? I'm eleven, so…" the girl explains. 

"Right. Yeah, sure...obviously," she sputters, trying to hide the odd twinge of disappointment that wells up in her gut. She crosses her arms and looks down at her feet.

Mon-El notices the slight change in her, but opts to ignore it. 

"Well? Are you coming?" the girl asks. 

"Coming where?" Kara asks. 

"Somewhere we can get you some help. They're never going to let you out of here. They don't have any idea how to give you back your memories. But...I know somewhere we can go. To help you remember. I can't explain why, but I'm the only one who can take you there. And then you guys will be rid of each other. Sound good?"

Mon-El shrugs gamely. "Sounds great to me. Especially that last part."

Kara scoffs in annoyance. "But wait, we still don't know who you _ are_. Or...what an eleven year old is doing running around the DEO by herself, for that matter…"

"I can't tell you that, for the same reason no one else is telling you anything. But I promise I know what I'm doing, okay? Anyway it's your choice. Stay in here indefinitely, or come with me and get some answers."

"I'm gonna go with option B," Mon-El says, stepping out of the cell. Kara hems and haws for a moment, before muttering "Fine" and trudging out as well. 

"So...what do we call you, mystery child?" Mon-El inquires. 

"Uh, well," Allie ponders this. "Hmmm...you can call me Mystery Child, I suppose. Or Missy, for short." She chuckles internally, thinking of all the times her mother has called her this. Usually with extreme annoyance. 

"Missy? Is that...a common name on this planet?" Mon-El asks.

"Eh, -ish. Not that it matters. Now come on, before someone comes in here."

"Wait...I don't even know _ your _ name," the taller blonde says, turning towards the man she's unaware that she's currently married to.

"Mon-El," he says. "But not...an El like you."

"How do you know I'm…" she starts, before he shoots an exaggerated glance down towards her chest. For a moment, she feels both appalled and self-conscious, until she realizes he's looking at her family coat of arms, clearly emblazoned on her chest. "Oh. Right. I'm Kara. Kara Zor-El." 

"Okay. Well...Hi."

"Hi." 

They find themselves looking into each other's eyes for a moment, before awkwardly stepping back and shifting their respective gazes away. 

"Okay, enough flirting, let's go," the little girl implores, to both adults' visible consternation. 

They spend the next few minutes peeking around corners and quietly making their way downstairs, presumably towards some emergency exit Kara has never bothered to use before. Allie pointedly ignores Kara's repeated suggestions that she knows a much faster way out of here.

"Shhh," the child says. "There's a shift change soon, we'll need to make our move then."

"Move to what?" Kara asks, only to be disregarded yet again. 

They stand uncomfortably, in silence, huddled behind a pillar, trying to stay out of sight of the security cameras. Kara finds herself more or less sandwiched between a strange child and an infuriating Daxamite. She can feel the soft warmth of his breath against the back of her neck, causing goose pimples to form and her hairs to stand on end.

"Can you _ stop _ that?" she whispers over her shoulder. Which unfortunately has the side effect of putting her cheek even closer to his face.

"Stop what?" he says with confusion. 

"_Breathing _ on me."

"Sure. No breathing. Got it, Princess."

Gritting her teeth, Kara mumbles something in Kryptonese that she would _ never _ repeat in English, especially not in front of a child. Her muttering elicits a burst of quickly-stifled laughter from behind her and a prompt shushing from in front of her. 

_ I guess he speaks my language, then_. She tries not to be intrigued by this. After all, she sometimes gets to speak the language with Clark. And Winn, on occasion, though he's not fluent. Still...

"Now!" The girl says after long moments, sprinting around a corner. The adults follow in rapid succession. 

"Okay, here we are," the child says, as they enter an unfamiliar-looking control room. Along the far wall there's a strange arc-shaped structure with a panel next to it. The child approaches said panel and begins keying in some kind of code.

"What the hell is _ that _ thing?" Kara asks. 

"What, the technological marvels of your super-advanced planet didn't include transmat portals?" Mon-El chides. 

"Oh, _ shut _ up," she counters, turning to the girl. "So…we're going off world? Where exactly are you taking us?"

"There's a being I know of. A telepath that's also sort of a...seer. Oracle. Whatever you want to call it. An exceptionally powerful one, who can show people their past, present, and even possible futures." Allie finishes entering the key sequence, and the portal flares to life, purple light filling the room they're standing in. 

"I don't give a crap about the future right now," Mon-El says. "I just want to know what's happened to me for the last…however long a period of time is missing from my head. Can this...whoever...give me that?"

"Yes. She can heal your mind. Fill in the blanks. Call her a...psychic therapist, if you will. I know the way, and I have to go there no matter what for...other reasons. So…"

_ Other reasons? _ "I don't know about this," Kara worries. "We have no idea what we're walking into here. With a little _ girl_, no less. Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"What?" Mon-El goads, lowering his voice to almost a growl. "You scared?" Despite herself, Kara feels a tiny shiver go down her spine as he speaks. Luckily for her, the feeling is quickly overridden by a bubble of huffiness that rises in her gut. 

She glares at him with as much venom as she can muster and steps through the portal. 

He lets out a tiny chuckle as she _ goes. She's kind of cute when she's angry. _

Wait, _ what?! _

He mentally kicks himself. _ Nope, nope, nope._ _ None of that stuff. The entire objective here is to get rid of her. Focus on that. _

"Hello?" the smaller blonde finally says, derailing his train of thought. "You coming?" 

"After you," he says back, gesturing at the portal with a slight bow. 

"Whatever," the girl says, casually walking into the purple light as though she's walking out the door for a normal day doing...whatever it is children her age do on this planet. For a split second, Mon-El sees a flash of her in his mind's eye. Her hair braided, a red rectangular box with a handle in one hand, and a blue bag strapped to her back. He sees Supergirl, too, in a white shirt with buttons and a black skirt, her hair pulled back into a low ponytail, kneeling to hug the child before she walks out the door. 

_ That was weird_. 

He shakes the image away and follows through the portal. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought it would be fun to flip the script and have Mon accuse Kara of murder this time. 😜
> 
> So, this isn't going to play out exactly like their first meeting. Their memories may be gone but their feelings for each other are still there. Good AND bad. The love is there, but some of their earlier anger is, too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Mon-El find themselves stuck together with a child in a strange place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is kind of a short chapter.

The first thing he notices when he gets there is the drops of blood on the ground. 

"Hey…you're bleeding!" he says, following the trail of red dots up to Kara's damaged hand. 

Then he sees why. Two imposing figures in black hooded robes stand at the ready, until one comes at her. Mon-El rushes to help, but his legs, he finds, don't move with quite the same rapidity as on Earth. Caught off-guard, he stops in his tracks and looks down for a split second, until he hears a grunt and sees Kara throwing a right hook at one of her apparent assailants, who goes down hard. Before he knows it, the duo is scrambling over some nearby rocks, away from the scene.

Mon-El continues moving towards them as they retreat, instinctively putting his body between them and the two females he just arrived with. When he turns around, Missy is bandaging Kara's injured hand with the stretchy purple headband that's been holding back her fine blonde hair. 

"Did you say something?" Kara asks, finally noticing his arrival.

"Your...your hand. It's bleeding," he says, dazed by the flurry of events. He realizes his heart has been racing, and takes a deep breath in an effort to calm himself.

"Yeah, I'm aware," she snarks. "What, did you decide to stop for ice cream before coming through?" 

He ignores the sarcasm. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I haven't forgotten how punching works," she snarks, "And I'm pretty good at taking care of myself."

_ Clearly. Those two were pretty spooked, _he thinks. He does his best not to be impressed by this. _ She probably just got lucky. _

"She's fine, but we got jumped as soon as we came through," the girl they know as Missy says. "They must have been guarding the portal. But look, they left us a ride." She indicates a spot a hundred or so yards away. "Which is good, because it's quite a hike to where we're going."

Kara and Mon-El look in the direction the child is pointing and sure enough, there's a vehicle there. 

"What the…" Kara starts, as she gazes upon a 1951 baby blue Chevy Bel Air convertible. "Why...is this here?"

"I've never seen a transport like that before," Mon-El raises an eyebrow. 

"It's from Earth, you know, the world we were just on," Kara says. "Obviously." He rolls his eyes but ignores her dismissive attitude. 

"The Maaldorians used to use that portal we came through to do their various types of shady business on Earth," young Missy says. "They must have bought or stolen it."

"Is that where we are?" Mon-El asks. "Slaver's Moon?" 

"Yes," the child nods. "And before you say anything, Supergirl, yes Daxam's monarchs used to buy their slaves here, and no, he didn't have any control over that, he despised the whole thing and he planned to end the practice when he became King."

"...Is that...true?" Kara says, eying him with a mixture of wariness and curiosity. Mon-El shrugs, a little sheepishly. He's not sure why her opinion on his home planet should be of any concern to him, but somehow it is. "I'm not sure how exactly she knows that, but yeah. It's true."

"Okay, but I assumed we were going somewhere...I dunno, _ normal_. Safe. We've already been attacked and we've been here less than five minutes. I think we should go back," Kara says, practically morphing into a stuffy school marm. The portal goes dark as she's speaking, however, purple light blipping out.

"Too late," Missy says with a satisfied smile. "I'm the only one who knows the code back, and I'm not telling until you go with me to get your memories."

Kara huffs in defeat. "Well…fine. Then let's get on with it," the Kryptonian starts walking toward the vehicle. She opens the driver's side door, happy to find keys in the ignition. 

"Wait, why do _ you _ get to drive?" Mon-El asks. 

"Do you know how to drive an Earth vehicle?"

"No, but if _ you _ can do it, how hard can it be?"

Kara groans and shoots him a dirty look, but says nothing, simply starting the car as young Missy climbs into the back seat, and Mon-El gets in the passenger side. 

She backs the car up, bouncing over rocks along the way. 

"Smooth," Mon-El says. 

"Can you just shut _ up_? It's not like there's a road here. Now...where are we going? Exactly?"

Missy pops up out of her seat, leaning forward between the two of them and pointing toward the horizon. "See that mountain in the distance? _ That's _ where the Oracle is." 

"Wow. That looks...far," Kara worries, as she puts the car in drive and steps on the pedal. She isn't sure what the terrain is like between here and there, and she feels pretty confident there aren't any gas stations around. Will this thing get them there and back?

"This is stupid. Let's ditch this whatever-it's-called and I'll fly us there…" he disregards the tiny part of him that wants to imagine what it would be like to wrap an arm around her waist and whisk her off into the sky. And, he supposes, the kid, too. 

"Wait, you have powers?" Kara asks. 

"I guess, if that's what they're called. I run insanely fast. And I figured out I can levitate or...something. Do you have them, too?"

"Yeah, why do you think they call me Supergirl?"

Mon-El shrugs as he ponders this. "...Ego?"

Kara hits the brakes. Hard. Mon-El has to brace himself to keep his upper body from crashing into dash. "You know what? How about we just...don't talk," she says with just a hint of venom. 

"_Fine _ by me," he responds, with a casual tone she finds infuriating. 

They drive in silence for long minutes. Until Missy feels compelled to interject. "You don't have powers here," she says at length, neglecting to mention the fact that some of her father's powers come not from a yellow sun, but from the Legion ring he's thankfully still wearing. 

"What?" Mon-El responds, looking back over his shoulder.

"The sun is red here. Like on your home worlds. Your powers come from Earth's yellow sun. So...no powers today."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. Did you know this?" He turns to Kara. 

"Shhh. No talking." 

Not for the first, or, he suspects, the last time on this strange road trip, the Daxamite stifles a laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Mon-El's road trip goes awry...

It's slow going, owing to the aforementioned lack of any kind of paved surface, and it feels like they aren't even getting any closer. Before long, Kara's nerves start to fray. 

"Is it supposed to be making that noise?" Mon-El wonders aloud at the sound of gears grinding, though given his chauffeur's inclination toward silence, he doesn't really expect a reply. 

He gets one, though. 

"_I'm doing my BEST, okay?!?!_" she almost screeches. "I'm not…I've only driven a stick shift once before, and…"

"Is that what this..._thing _ we're riding in is?"

"It's called a _ car,_" she responds with exasperation, turning to glare at him, "But I don't drive that often because, you know, I can freaking _ fly_, and most cars on Earth now have automatic transmission. This is a _ manual _ transmission, also known as a…"

"Look _ out_!" Missy says, pointing ahead of them.

But it's too late. Kara hits the brakes and swerves, but the whole thing careens over the edge of some sort of arroyo, rolling over multiple times as three people who don't know they're a family scream. 

They fortunately land right side up, dusty and slightly bruised but more or less intact. 

"Are you two okay?" Mon-El says quickly, a sliver of fear in his voice. He glances first at the back seat, where Missy is unfurling herself from the ball she crouched into just in time. 

"Yeah. I'm dusty, but I held onto the seat."

Mon-El nods and turns to the Kryptonian next to him. "Kara? Are you…" 

She's in shock, her realizes. He sees a tear slip down her face as she stares blankly forward, chest heaving. 

"Kara. You're okay. We're both okay. See?" He gestures at himself, then the girl. 

She snaps out of it finally, and looks at him. "Oh, God…I'm…I'm so sorry…"

"No...it was _ my _ fault. You said no talking, and I distracted you…"

"There aren't even any seat belts…"

"Hey!" He grabs her shoulders firmly. "You didn't hurt anyone. We're fine." 

She nods, but still looks incredibly shaken. Mon-El looks around at their surroundings, which don't amount to much. Just a rocky, dirty ditch, where the car is hopelessly stuck. They need to get out of here, soon. There could be more locals nearby, who may not be friendly to outsiders. So he quickly comes up with a way to light a fire under her. 

He gets out of the car and surveys the damage. 

The Bel Air is less lucky than the three aliens in it. The windshield is shattered, doors dented beyond repair, and one of the wheels is flat and off-kilter. 

"Well, as I thought, your driving sucks," he says. "Should have let me give it a try."

Scoffing again and shaking off her moment of panic, just as he hoped, Kara turns toward him. "You! You probably would have caught the thing on fire long before now."

She emerges as well and stands next to him, looking at the wreck. 

"Great! _ Now _ what are we gonna do?!" she groans. 

"Well," Missy says, crawling out of what's left of the back seat and standing on what's left of the trunk. "We could check out _ that _ place." 

They climb up the dry creek bank and look towards the setting red sun, and sure enough a very large irregular structure is jutting out of the ground. Here and there they see movement, in the form of vehicles coming and going. 

"Uh, NO. We are going _ away _ from Murder Castle, because we don't have any _ powers _ here!" Mon-El says. 

"Well, we're in the middle of nowhere," Kara says. "And look, they have transportation. See? That's a…"

"...Troop transport," Mon-El nods. "Grife." Damn it, she's right. It's the best option they have. 

"What, are you _ scared_?" she mimics his words back at him. "Come on, have a little _ faith_. The glass is half full here. At least we're not stranded."

"...Okay, fine. But…it's getting dark fast. There are three moons, but I don't see any of them coming up yet, and they might not rise for hours. So it'll be pitch black. And I don't know about you, but I'm...exhausted. Maybe we should find some shelter, maybe even some food, so we're not committing grand theft spaceship on an empty stomach and zero sleep. Plus…" he turns to look at her, and pauses at the sight of her face in the setting sun. Her eyes are so..._familiar_...

"What?" Kara asks, brows crinkling adorably in the fading light. _ Damn it, knock that off, Mon-El, _ he thinks. You're _ just here because you need her. Her HELP! Not...I don't need HER, specifically. She's the worst. Well, I mean, not the WORST the worst, sure she's annoying but deep down she means well, plus those eyes, they're so blue, like…_something he can't quite put his finger on…

"Um, _ hello_?!" She interrupts his reverie. "Plus _ what_?!"

"Oh. Uh, they raise Thanagarian Snarebeasts on this planet. They free range, and they come out at night. Most of them are small, like the size of a grethlan spinehound, and they're usually slaughtered young, when their meat is more tender, but occasionally, one will wander off for a long period and come back extra large. They never stop growing."

"S...snarebeasts? What's that?" Missy says. 

"You don't want to find out," both adults say in unison. 

"I'd like to find somewhere that's indoors, please," the child says. It's the first time she's looked genuinely nervous since they arrived, which is saying something considering they've already been in a car accident, and Kara, feeling a twinge in her heart, puts her arm around the child's shoulder. 

"It's all right," the Kryptonian says. "We won't let anything happen to you, okay? I promise." The child wraps her arms around the older woman, who reciprocates, tentatively at first, before relenting and pulling her in closer. She notices the child's hair smells like her favorite lavender shampoo. _ Just a coincidence, _ she thinks. _ Definitely_.

Mon-El feels strangely left out watching the scene. He thinks about the flash he saw earlier, of them hugging. It's strange, they almost seem to...fit together, somehow, in his mind. _ Probably just because they both have blonde hair and blue eyes_, he decides. _ That's all_. 

They opt to head to the top of a nearby ridge to see what they can see, before they lose the light completely.

Missy spots it first. Something between a tent and a hut. It's on a plateau not far below them. They make their way down, noting no light or movement from inside. Still, they tread carefully. 

"Hello?" Kara says as she approaches. There's no answer. They enter, happy to see there is a fire pit already stocked with some kind of combustible material. It's getting cold fast now that the sun is down. 

"Damn. Heat vision would come in pretty handy right now," she says. "Anyone know how to make a fire?"

"Wait...heat...vision?" Mon-El says. "What does that…"

"She shoots fire lasers from her eyes. But you don't have that power, even on Earth. I can do it, though," Missy fills them in. "Not heat vision," she quickly corrects when they both look at her questioningly. "I just…I can build a fire..." She notices a hand drill nearby and some tinder, and sets to work. Nothing much happens for a little while. 

"Do you want me to…" Mon-El offers. 

"No, just give me one more minute," the child replies. "I know how, my father taught me." 

Mon-El suddenly wonders where this strange child came from; where her family is. He feels a twinge of guilt. He was so keen on getting his mind put back together that he didn't think about what this girl could be risking being here with them. To be fair, he couldn't have imagined she'd bring them here, of all places. 

Finally, the flames burst to life and Missy adds in some kindling and logs. Kara and Mon-El clap and smile at her accomplishment. 

"Carbon forms!" A voice from the hut door startles them out of their moment. "You have returned!" 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pleasant evening with a sort-of-old friend turns into a sort-of-date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember Jo from the ep where they went to Maaldoria?
> 
> I do. I wish they had done more with him that season. 
> 
> But anyway here he is!

Kara quickly jumps up to put herself between the intruder and the child. She's surprised to see Mon-El doing the same, and even jockeying for a spot in front of her. She has to nudge him aside, and he shoots her a look of annoyance. 

"Who are you?" Kara asks. "Is this…your home?"

"Have you forgotten your friend, Jo Gunraf?" The alien's shoulders drop, with clear disappointment. 

"I'm sorry. We're both sort of...suffering from memory loss. You...you know us?" Kara inquires, tilting her head. 

"Yes, of course! Carbon forms helped Jo escape from Maaldoria. Helped...many people here."

"So...we've been here before?" Mon-El asks, nodding slightly. "Both of us? Together?"

Kara startles at this information and turns her head to look at the Daxamite. She sees him nodding slightly, like something is clicking into place.

"Certainly!" Jo continues. "Carbon forms brought Jo home. See?" He produces a worn-looking photo from a basket in the corner, and sure enough, there's their new friend, flanked by the two of them, Kara in her standard supersuit and Mon-El wearing something with a red top and a blue cape, though she can't see more since the photo cuts off just below the neck. Both are smiling broadly, though.

"Jo did not like Earth," he continues. "Smells...funny. And things on Maaldoria...better! Slavers gone, good work here now."

Kara looks at the photo, then at Mon-El. "So...we…know each other?" 

Missy finally strolls over and grabs the snapshot. "Jo, please don't tell them any more. We're trying to get to the top of Mount Okr to fix their memory situation. You know, the seer?" She stares pointedly at the alien's blank face until he nods, understanding. 

He bids them to sit around the fire. "Carbon forms must be hungry. Eat now." He retrieves from his shoulder bag a stash of purple tubers, longer and thinner than potatoes. He sets a pot of water to boil, as Kara examines the meal he's preparing for them. "These are...pyloras," she says with shock. "They were one of my favorite foods growing up. Where did you get these?" 

Jo hesitates as Missy shoots him a warning look. At length he replies. "These grown on many red sun planets now. Come. Sit. Will not take long. Have...drink." He hands them a bottle of something with a strong, sweet odor. Kara, suddenly realizing how thirsty she is, gulps it down. It's not unpleasant tasting, but there's a pungency to it as well. She hands it to Mon-El, who guzzles even more than she just did.

"Hey, save some for Missy," Kara chides. 

"She can't drink this. It's Caldorean wine," he balks at her, surprised. "Didn't you have that on Krypton?"

"I was twelve when I left Krypton. I wasn't a big drinker." 

Missy is already helping herself to a cup of water from Jo's basin. She looks back at her parents, and sighs fondly at the way they both keep flicking their gazes down, ever so briefly, at each other's lips. 

She resists the urge to do an exaggerated cartoon evil villain laugh. 

The starchy vegetables cook quickly, and before they know it, they're scarfing down bowls of mashed purple goodness with some kind of rich pinkish butter-like substance melting on top. 

Kara's head is swimming slightly from the wine, and she looks over at Mon-El dreamily. He looks a little tipsy as well. "Mmm...I haven't had this in ages," she says. "Honestly, I never thought I would again," she closes her eyes, relishing the flavor. 

"Have you tried it with eldar peppers mixed in?" Mon-El responds. "It's really good. I used to sneak down to the kitchen in the middle of the night when I was a kid and fix that it that way." 

"You...cook?" Kara asks. 

"A little. My governess taught me." He stops at the memory, dropping his head to gaze at his shoes. They're filthy, covered in dust and ridiculously worn, not to mention two sizes too big, having been retrieved from their previous residence, hanging from some kind of black wires earthlings seem to run from wooden poles everywhere. He suddenly realizes how badly his feet hurt, and considers removing them. But pride wins out. He doesn't want her to see how dirty and blistered they probably are. 

"What's wrong?" she asks. 

"Nothing. Sore feet, that's all."

She eyes him with suspicion. "You were thinking about your governess, weren't you…"

Surprised, he pulls back to look at her. "I was... actually. She...died, long before the destruction. Her name was Tal-Am."

Kara smiles, listening. "That's a pretty name. You…must have loved her a lot."

"I did. But...anyway, enough of these dreary thoughts. Tell me...tell me what Earth is like. I only got to spend a few hours there…"

"...You mean other than the indefinite period of time you can't remember."

"Right. Other than that." 

Kara starts crinkling again. 

"What is it?" Mon-El asks. 

"Jo _ knows _ us. He has a picture of us. Here. Together. And you...didn't seem that surprised."

_ Oh. Right. That_. "Uh…earlier today, I was told, or...given to understand that we...work together. At the DEO. I think."

"We do?" 

"Yeah, maybe. And I'm starting to get the sense that we...might even actually be…"

"What?"

"...Friends…maybe?"

The corners of Kara's mouth start to creep upwards. "I suppose we can't...rule out the possibility."

"So yeah, maybe you _ are _ my girlfriend then," he shrugs, turning to poke the fire with a stick. 

"WHOA!" Kara's eyes practically bug out of their sockets. 

"What? What did I say?" He reacts, eyebrows furrowing. 

"I am NOT your girlfriend. Not a chance. Right, Missy? That's crazy...right?"

The child looks up from her food and deadpans, "No. I can honestly say that you are not, in fact, his girlfriend," before returning to shoveling violet hued mush into her mouth. 

"See? Totally ridiculous." Kara punctuates her assertion with a quick nod. 

"But…we just agreed we might be friends, right?"

"So?"

"You're a girl, _ Super_girl in fact, and you're maybe…possibly my friend, so…"

"Ohhhh…" Kara sees his confusion, and feels herself blush at her overreaction. "That's not what that word means."

"What does it mean?"

Kara's blush intensifies. "It's…it refers to a girl...a woman...that you're in a romantic relationship with."

Mon-El is momentarily struck dumb by this information. "Ah. Well then obviously that guy was mistaken," he finally says.

"What guy?" 

"Someone I met today. He thought...I guess he thought that you and I were…together...or something."

"Wow." Kara begins laughing nervously. "Well,_ that's _ insane."

"Yeah...clearly."

"Please. Like I would ever in a million years do...you know…_that_."

"What?" 

She glances over at Missy, who is now busily helping Jo clean up the plates. 

Kara groans, struggling for the right euphemism. She finally settles on "Go...dancing. With a Daxamite. Especially the _ Prince _ of Daxam. No, thank you."

"Dancing?"

Kara lowers her voice to a whisper. "You _ know_. Like...horizontally?" she prompts. 

"Hori-_zon-_tally…?" he feigns ignorance of what she's getting at. 

"Oh, Rao. _ Please _ don't make me say it."

"Yeah, you better not. Might make your prudish, buttoned-up little Kryptonian head explode." 

"Shut up. I'm not prudish."

"Well you definitely seem like you could do with a little..._dancing_. Daxamite or otherwise. And not _ necessarily _ horizontally. Plenty of other positions work quite well for. _ ..dancing_."

"Ahh!" Kara gasps, and pops him on the shoulder. He laughs when he glances at the appalled look on her face. 

"I do not need...to _ dance_," she asserts. "Certainly not with one of..._you _ people. I am doing _ just _ fine in that department…I mean...probably." She's sure she must have gotten laid at some point in the last 9 years, right? 

He feels a strange bubble of unfamiliar emotion at the suggestion of her having...whatever boring sex Kryptonians have...with some Earth man. "Hey, I wasn't talking about myself, if that's what you were worried about."

"Good. Because...no dancing for you."

"Understood. And accepted. No dancing."

"I _ know _ you guys are talking about sex," Missy pipes in with annoyance from the other side of the hut. "I'm eleven. I'm not _ stupid_."

They pause, jaws dropping open, before bursting into twin cascades of giggles. 

"'Kay," Missy side-eyes her parents. "Guess that wine was pretty strong. But if anyone's interested in _ actual _ dancing…" she pulls out an ancient-looking iPod from somewhere, and connects it to its speaker dock. 

"Jo Gunraf did like _ some _ things about Earth. Like Beyoncé!" Their new (but apparently also old) friend breaks into what they can only imagine is a dreamy smile, as Missy queues up Love Shack and grabs Mon-El's hand. 

"Come on, I promise not to step on your feet," the child swears. 

The Daxamite sighs, steeling himself for what is sure to be the most painful dance of his life, feet steppage or no, and allows the child to drag him onto the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the hut. 

She grabs Kara next, who happily hops up and joins the fun. Even Jo gets up and claps along as Missy teaches Mon-El about Earth dancing. Which, thankfully for him, involves more hip wiggling than foot movement. Kara finds herself nearly in stitches watching him attempt something called "flossing."

The song ends, and The Way You Look Tonight comes on. Missy takes the opportunity to push the two adults together, insisting they be partners. 

"Slow dance! Come on, Jo!" she says, and starts waltzing the Maaldorian around the room. He happily participates, spinning the child with glee. 

"I gotta say, I feel a little rejected," he jokes to Kara, while looking fondly at the young girl. 

"I guess you're used to ladies falling all over themselves to dance with you, huh?" She tries to pretend she's unaware of the feeling of his hands. One on the small of her back under her cape, the other clasping hers gently as they away back and forth. 

"Yeah, well, I do have a _ few _ interesting moves." She pulls back to look him with skepticism, before he proceeds to dip her nearly to the floor, causing her to let out a "Whoa!" and a slightly startled laugh. He feels his heart quicken slightly at the sound of her laughter, and smiles in response. "I did love dancing, back on Daxam," he says when they're upright again.

"Yeah, we danced on Krypton, too."

His eyebrows raise at this. "Well, don't look now, Supergirl, but looks like you have something in common with a Daxamite."

Kara appears to consider the idea. "Well, I suppose your planet couldn't have been _ all _ bad."

He rocks his head from side a bit. "...There may have been one or two good things about it."

She shrugs and looks up at his stupidly handsome face. "Maybe so," she says. Their eyes meet for a moment, before they both flick them away. 

Soon enough, the wine and their exhaustion get the better of them, and before they know it they're curled up on a soft woven mat of some kind, Kara and Mon-El on their sides, facing each other, with Missy in between. Jo has given them a threadbare blanket, which isn't quite big enough for all three of them, so Kara uses her cape as a supplement. The temperature has dropped significantly, and despite the embers of the fire still going, the hut is chilly. Luckily, Jo seems immune to the cold, and falls asleep immediately in a nearby chair. 

Missy goes down quickly as well, dainty snores emanating from her small form. 

"I hope her family isn't freaking out worrying where she is right now," Kara whispers in the darkness. "I had no idea we'd be here so long." 

"Yeah, I was wondering about that, too." Mon-el says softly. "You were right, we probably should have thought this through before stepping into a portal to Rao knows where with some strange child...I just…"

"...I know. I wanted to remember so badly, and she...there's something about her…it's strange, I know, but I can't help but…"

"...Trust her?" 

"...Yes. Exactly. I mean, I don't know how she's in our lives precisely, but she _ knows _ us. Knows things about us that _ we _ don't even know. I just hope this trip pays off. Gets us back to normal. Whatever normal _ is _ for us."

"Well, first thing tomorrow we'll go borrow a shuttle from that…weird...fortress place, go see this Oracle whozits, and then we'll head straight back. No problem."

"And then we'll go back to being...whatever we were before."

"To each other, you mean." Mon-El lowers his voice just a touch.

"...Right."

"You don't think there's _ any _ chance we're actually…"

"Nope. Good night."

He smiles broadly in the dark. "Good night, Kara."

She closes her eyes for a few seconds, before they spring back open. "Oh, and I'd like it noted, by the way, that you just admitted I was _ right _ about something."

"Had to happen sooner or later, I guess. Statistically speaking."

"Oh, shut up."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rather rude awakening for our space puppies.

Her dreams are strange that night. She sees him. That ridiculous Daxamite, sometimes in some sort of red suit. Like the one in the picture. But the images don't form a cohesive narrative, they just sort of swirl around each other. She sees bits and pieces, but never a clear picture. They're flying together. She's sitting at a table as he hands her a plate of food, absurdly bright smile on his face. He's at the beach, chasing Missy through the surf, before picking her up and spinning her around, laughing together. 

She sees him next to her in bed, fast asleep with his face nuzzled into her pillow. Her striped comforter over the small of his back. His naked back. She reaches her hand out to touch his skin…

"Wha…" Kara startles awake. Despite the hard ground beneath her, she feels quite comfortable. She slowly becomes cognizant that there's a large, warm body spooned behind her, a well-muscled arm draped over her waist, and a pair of knees tucked behind hers. Soft puffs of moist breath tickle the shell of her ear, and a nose is nestled amidst the locks of hair at the back of her head. 

Wait, _ WHAT_?! 

She quickly scooches away from him, sitting upright, as he wakes with a start at her abrupt departure from his arms. 

"Kara?" he says as he rubs his eyes. "What happened? Wait, were we just…" he props up on his elbows, taking stock of the situation. 

"Nothing!" she practically screeches. "We weren't doing _ anything_!"

He sighs, sitting up to lean his head on his hand, elbow up on his knee. "Okay. Whatever. Wait…where's Missy? And Jo?"

"I don't know. Come on, let's check outside."

They don't have to look long. They see Jo scrambling up over the edge of the plateau, seemingly in a panic. 

"Carbon forms! Girl child needs help!"

"What?! What happened?!" Kara yells, heart already pounding. 

"Went to look for food, but Rangers found us…threw me down hill, took girl child!"

"Where? _ Where _ did they take her?" Mon-El asks, and Kara can hear the panicked tremor in his voice. 

"Village…" Jo replies, head bobbing. "Far end of ridge…"

The words are barely past his lips (or whatever he has that passes for lips) before the Kryptonian and the Daxamite are off at a run, sprinting towards the faint sound of Missy screaming. The Maaldorian follows behind as best he can, but even without super speed these two are quite a bit faster than he is. 

They reach the village in time to see two hooded figures dragging Missy, kicking and screaming, into some sort of cage that hovers a foot or two above the ground. A crowd of locals has created a ring around the scene, looking on fearfully. 

"STOP!" Kara shouts, pushing her way through the crowd. "Don't you _ touch _ her!" The figures release the girl, turning their attention to the intruders. 

As Kara goes to grab Missy, Mon-El moves to tackle one of the figures into the other. But it almost effortlessly ducks, using his inertia to toss him like a rag doll over its back. He goes down hard on his left shoulder, screaming in pain. 

_ Boy, would it be nice to have those superpowers back right about now_, he muses. 

Mon-El manages to scramble along the ground back on his good arm close to the girls, as Kara protectively shields Missy. They all look up to see two large weapons trained in their direction. 

"We don't want to hurt you," Kara says with as much authority as she can muster. "We just want the child."

The figures look toward each other, and begin to converse, almost casually, in some language Kara has never heard before. She and Mon-El look at each other, trying to figure out what to do.

"Do you think they were going to sell her to the slavers?" Mon-El wonders. 

"Maybe," Kara replies. 

"All right, follow my lead."

"Wait, what are you going to do?"

"What I _ have _ to, Kara."

With difficulty, he drags himself to standing, his right hand clutching the arm he landed on. 

"Take me, instead," he says firmly. 

Kara's mouth drops open in utter shock, and a bubble of utter panic rises up in her gut. "Mon-El, no! There's got to be another way."

"I'll be all right, Kara. It's okay." He uses his good hand to cradle her face, a strangely warm feeling coming over both of them at the simple touch. "Just get Missy back to the portal. It has to be you, I'm in no shape to protect her. But don't worry, I'll figure out...something." He withdraws his hand and faces his enemy. 

"No! I'm not leaving you!" 

"As long as you're safe, you and Missy, that's all that matters, all right?" 

Speechless, Kara watches helplessly as he steps forward, towards the cage. Until he's knocked back down by hooded person number one. He screams again at the impact, pain radiating from his injured shoulder. Kara kneels down to help him to a sitting position, and carefully props up his hand. She doesn't need x-ray vision to tell, even through the fabric of his shirt, that the injury is bad. She sends a prayer to Rao that his arm isn't broken. 

The second figure approaches, and points at Mon-El's hand. The one Kara's now gingerly holding, trying to keep still to prevent it from hurting too much. 

"What? What is he…" Kara starts.

The figure clarifies by pointing directly at his Legion ring. 

Mon-El exhales, resigning himself. "Here. Take it." He quickly pulls the ring off his finger, wincing as his muscles strain slightly. He hands it over to the shadowy form looming over him. 

The two then turn away, and approach the crowd, grabbing one of the villagers by the shirt and dragging them toward the cage. The crowd vocally protests, but no one attempts to stop them. 

"Wait!" Kara yells, standing taking a few steps towards the strangers. "What are you doing?" 

Jo finally catches up just then to stop her, huffing heavily on the approach as he clutches her arm. "Carbon forms! Girl is...safe?"

"They're...taking someone else as a slave in her place," Kara laments, heart breaking as she watches them go. "We have to stop them, but…Mon-El's hurt, and…"

"Not slave." The alien shakes his head. "No slaves now on Maaldoria. Carbon forms drove slavers away. Jo told you."

"Wait…if they're not slavers then…what are they doing?"

"Need bait. For beast."

"Beast? _ What _ beast?"

"Snarebeast! Very big, biggest ever seen. Stalks village at night, takes animals. Sometimes people. Rangers set traps. But...need bait."

"If that's what they wanted, why'd they take Mon-El's ring?" 

Jo shrugs. "Ring pretty, maybe?"

"Well…what can we do? We can't just let that person get eaten!"

Jo nods, understanding, and pats her head. "Carbon forms will help. Carbon forms always help. But...beast sleeps now. Not wake for hours. There is time. Jo will help carbon forms first."

They carefully hoist Mon-El up off the ground, and back to the hut. Kara sits him on a chair and assists him in slowly removing his shirt so she can examine his injury. She's no doctor, and she wishes very much for a moment that Alex was here to deal with this. But it's pretty clear to her that the shoulder is dislocated. She'll have to reset the joint before they can go anywhere. She directs Missy and Jo to rummage around the hut to find something that can serve as a sling. 

She stands behind him, fingers lightly tracing the mound of protruding bone. "That was...brave of you," she says. "And…that ring looked valuable. But you gave it up without a second thought."

He chuckles lightly. "No one's more surprised than me." 

"What...was it? The ring, I mean."

"No idea. It had an L on it. But I can't think what it could mean. There was something else too, like a shooting star._" Or a comet. _

"It...it might have been a family heirloom, or a...wedding ring, or something..." she gulps just a tiny bit over the word _ wedding_.

"I don't have any family," he assures her. "No one that ever loved me enough that I'd be devastated if I lost their jewelry, anyway. And I'm sure you'll agree I'm not exactly husband material, so I doubt it's the latter."

He expects her to laugh along in agreement, but instead she just lets out a heavy breath. 

"Well, you're going to have to be brave a minute longer, while I pop this thing back into place," she says, shaking off her melancholy and trying to think of some way to take his mind off the pain for just a moment. Unfortunately, nothing comes to her. Though it doesn't much matter, since unbeknownst to her, the feeling of her hands on his skin is doing the trick just fine. 

She takes hold of his arm, holding it outward in the proper position, steeling herself for what she has to do. "Okay, on the count of three…"

"...Wait," he stops her.

"What?"

"You've...done this before, right?"

"Well...no. Not exactly. But I saw it on Outlander, I think I remember…"

"Outlander? What's that?" 

"A television show. And also a book."

"What's a televis...OOOOOWWWWW!" He cries out as she takes advantage of his moment of distraction, extending the arm and rotating the ball of his arm bone back into the socket, until it visibly pops. He breathes a sigh of relief when it's done. 

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" she cringes.

"Yeah…yeah, I mean it's still sore, but...thank you."

"You're welcome. Good news is it'll heal right away when we get back home. Yellow sun and all." She comes around to his front side, to see the extent of the swelling and bruising (and definitely _ not _ because her eyes are naturally drawn to his chest). "Let me just have a look at the…" She stops in her tracks, breath stolen, when she sees it. 

Her necklace. 

"What…that's…_WHERE _ did you get this?!" she demands, voice cracking, falling to her knees and touching the pendant gently in her fingers. He gasps slightly at the feel of her fingertips sliding against his collarbone as she grasps it.

He looks down at the jewelry, and then at her. "I don't know," he says, genuinely, heartbeat rapidly accelerating. "I wish I did."

"My mother gave me that...it was the last thing she did before she sent me into space the day Krypton exploded. Before...before she died. Why do _ you _ have it? Why are you _ wearing _ it? Did you…did you _ take _ it from me?"

"...I think we both know that's not the most likely explanation, Kara…" he cocks his head to the side, almost...affectionately. "I know I'm a Daxamite and all, but I promise theft isn't a hobby of mine, nor is wearing women's jewelry."

They realize they're staring into each other's eyes again, but this time they don't look away. Until something dawns on both of them at once. 

They rotate their gazes towards the blond child, currently stoic, motionless, staring at them with concern from a few feet away. 

"Missy, you know us. _ Don't _ you..." Kara implores, rather than asks. "…What were..._are _ we...to each other…?" 

The girl sets her jaw like stone. A tree that won't be moved. "You're both important on Earth. That's all you need to know right now."

"Please…" Kara Zor-El doesn't beg. Ever. And yet…

"NO." They see the girl, resolved, carrying as much gravitas as any adult either of them has ever encountered. "I'm here to save you both. And that's what I'm going to do. That's what _ you _ would do in my position. And anyway, there's someone else that needs help right now. So if you two are done making heart eyes at each other, we've got a rescue to plan." 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And...GIANT SPIDER!

It takes them until midday to find the trap. It's down the slope in the adjacent valley, a hole in the ground, ten feet wide and just as deep. 

Centered over the pit, the Maaldorian abducted from the village this morning hangs from some sort of levitating sphere, feet dangling limply below him. 

"Looks like there's no one around," Kara says. Let's just go grab him…"

"No!" Jo says. "They watch. Wait for beast. Look!" He hands Kara a cone shaped device of some kind, like an advanced version of a spyglass. It has a screen on the back that displays what it sees. Sure enough, the rangers from this morning are hiding behind a cluster of rocks on the opposite side of the trap. 

"So, what's the plan?" Mon-El asks. "We just wait for a giant arachnid to show up, and…figure out how to keep it from eating that guy?"

"One of us will have to get its attention and lead it away, while the other frees him," Kara explains.

"Wait, what about _ me_?" Missy says. "What do _ I _ do?" 

"You wait here with Jo and stay out of trouble," Mon-El says. 

"You know what? If _ anyone _ has proved they're useful on this trip, I think it's me," she pouts, crossing her arms over her chest. Mon-El can't help but smile at her. She's a fierce one, that's for sure. 

"We need you safe, okay?" he says firmly.

"But…"

"No buts," Kara agrees. "He's right. We're in more danger if we're worried about you."

"Hey, we agree for once. How about that?" the Daxamite says. 

"Uh huh," she tamps down a smile. "Okay, I'll distract the spider monster while…"

"Whoa. No, no. _ I _ will distract him. You have two working arms, you have to be the one to free that guy."

"But...you...what if you fall and can't get up fast enough? You might not be able to defend yourself…"

"Well then I guess I won't fall down."

"Mon-El…"

"Kara, there's no other way! I've got one arm in a sling here, I can't possibly jump up and unhook that guy from that…thing."

"How do we even…_get _ him unhooked?" she wonders. 

"Grab legs. Will set off trap. Fall into pit. Like beast," Jo responds, as though it should have been obvious.

"So…I just have to jump and grab him by the legs, setting off the trap, and then…me and some stranger fall into a pit together?"

"Do you have a better plan?" Mon-El asks. 

"Well...how do we get _ out _ of the giant pit, then?" 

"Jo and girl child come help when beast gone," the Maaldorian says.

"Which leaves a man with his arm in a sling running from a giant spider...thing."

"I'll run toward our friends over there." He indicates the people in hoods hiding across the way. "Then I'm guessing they'll scatter, run back to their shuttle. And I'll hide somewhere in the rocks, somewhere it can't get me, until the thing gets bored and shoves off."

"I don't know. There's a lot of ways this can go wrong, Mon-El," she argues. 

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were actually worried about a Daxamite," he teases. 

"Damn _ right _ I am," she says, her voice steely. "Look, I don't know what we mean to each other. Maybe we hate one another. Maybe…you know, it's something…else. But I'll be _ damned _ if I lose you before we figure all this out, do you hear me?"

Stunned, Mon-El just gapes at her. Her resolve, her...bravery. One thing's for sure, he's never in his life met a woman like this. 

"There it is!" Allie points at the edge of the ridge, where they see long spindly legs first, then a mass of black eyes peering down at its prey. The man serving as bait begins to flail and kick, quite understandably. Jo was right, it's larger than a minivan and quite fearsome. 

"Okay. Showtime," Kara says. "You're _ sure _ you're up for this?" 

"Well, we came all the way here and everything. And from what I know about you so far I feel pretty confident you'll do this with or without me. And guess what? I'm not losing you, either." The look on her face at this remark, her eyes looking up at him with surprise and worry, nearly makes his stomach flip-flop as much as the fact that he's about to go running at a man-eating monster. "Besides," he continues. "Believe it or not, watching people get devoured was actually _ not _ my favorite pastime on Daxam, so…let's go!"

He hops out of their hiding place quite deftly for an injured man, and she watches as he dashes toward the spider, waving his good arm and yelling something in his native tongue that she barely understands (his language effectively being a dialect of kryptonese, overlapping in its structure and roots) and yet grasps enough to know it's fairly obscene. She really hopes their young friend didn't pick up any of that. 

Sure enough, the monster turns toward him, and after a moment's hesitation makes a beeline directly for the Daxamite. Her heart thumps in her chest as he sprints across her field of view toward their adversaries. Who, just as he predicted, skitter off straight for their vehicle and floor it. When she looks back, the beast appears to be scouring the pile of rocks looking for him. Seeing her cue, she races down to the pit, using her inertia to fling herself at the captive. Her arms wrap around his legs, slipping down until she finally gets a firm grip on his boots. She dangles there for a moment, until she hears the trap disengage with a click, and she feels herself plummeting into the pit. She lands, not with a thud as she expected, but with a soft squish. The villager lands on top of her, knocking the wind out of her, but quickly scrambles up, pushing her deeper into this strange substance they landed in. Her cape, boots and hair are now covered in this sticky, sandy goop. He makes his way toward the wall of the pit and grabs hold of some sort of ancient root or vine attached to the side, and uses it to hoist himself out. And like that, he's gone. 

_ Well, then. You're welcome, _ Kara thinks. 

She attempts to right herself, but the suction created by this..._whatever _ it is, something she can only imagine is akin to quicksand…is making it difficult. With great effort, she manages to lift her head enough to see the levitation device--a silver ball. It appears to be floating on this viscous glop, so she reaches out her arm to grab it. The movement makes her sink further though, her lower body now fully submerged. 

"Supergirl! Are you okay?" Missy's voice squeaks from above her. 

"Yes. I'm stuck but...is Mon-El all right?" Kara answers. 

"Beast still looks for him. Must hurry!" Jo pipes in. 

"Well...get me _ out _ of here!" Kara yells. "I can't reach that vine. Do we have a rope or something?" 

"Jo will save carbon form!" She sees him climbing down the vine, endeavoring not to touch the sticky mess that's currently engulfed her. But he can't reach. "Wait here, Jo Gunraf will get help!" He scrambles back up and she hears his footsteps moving quickly away.

"Wasn't planning on going anywhere," Kara mutters. Though she realizes he was probably talking to the child more than her. 

Suddenly she hears a robotic voice from above. 

"Don't move," it monotones. "Identify yourself."

"Oh…I'm...we were just…" she hears Missy sputter. 

"Identity confirmed," the robo-voice utters. 

"No! Wait! Not now…you can't…let me go! HELP!" the child yells. 

Kara feels a jolt of panic. "Missy! What's happening?"

The last thing she hears is the young girl who's been in her charge since yesterday screaming "_Mommmmmyyyyyy… _"

_ Oh, Rao_! Kara struggles, desperate now to claw her way up and out of here. But she only sinks deeper. 

By the time help arrives, in the form of Mon-El and Jo, only Kara's face and hands are above the surface. 

"_Kara!_" Mon-El gasps at the sight of her. "Hold on, I've got you." He pulls off his sling, lowers himself into the pit, and, grimacing in pain, unfurls the fabric towards her. She manages to grab hold, and he yanks on one end as she tugs with all her might on the other. Finally, they manage to close the distance between them, and he pulls her into his arms, the vine caught between them. He has tears in his eyes, though she's not sure if it's due to the pain in his still-swollen shoulder, or the relief of getting her to safety. 

"Thank Rao you're okay," he sighs. 

_ Huh_, she thinks. _ Maybe it could be...slightly the latter._

"Come on, let's get out of here," she says, as Jo helps them ascend the vine and hoist themselves over the lip of the hole. 

"Wait, where's Missy?" Mon-El asks, looking around quickly. 

"Something...took her. I couldn't see what it was. Where's that _thing_?" 

"Gone. I don't know what happened, I heard it growling nearby while I was hiding, and then suddenly...it's like it just disappeared. But hold on, back up…what do you mean something _ took _ her?"

"I heard voices. It's strange, they sounded like robots. Like...if I didn't know any better I would have guessed kelexes. But they confirmed her identity...somehow? And then she…" Kara feels a deep pang of guilt as she relates the story.

"What?" Mon-El inquires, tilting his head to one side. 

"She...she was calling out for her mother," Kara says guiltily. "We never should have come here."

"Well...that's on both of us," Mon-El says with a heavy sigh. 

She turns to Jo. "Do you know what those things were? The robots?" 

He hesitates for a moment, anxiously looking back and forth between them. "Yes. Jo knows bots," he says at length. 

"Where would they take her?" 

"...Fortress."

********

"What did I tell you? Worked like a charm," Winn says as he pulls his mask off, and buckles himself into the borrowed shuttle. He sloughs off his hooded robe and stashes it in a corner of the vehicle. 

"We'll see," Alex grumps as she does the same, settling into the passenger seat. "I still think this plan is ridiculous. Now get us out of here. And make it look good. Like we're _ actually _ fleeing a giant spider. Not just a bigass hologram." 

"Relax, I got it." Winn engages the drive and they take off. They shoot off about half a mile, so they're just out of sight of their friends. 

"Good thinking, taking his ring," Alex concedes. "If he'd figured out he could just fly James out of the trap, they wouldn't have had to work together." 

"I have my moments of genius, don't I?" he gloats. "Speaking of which, James should be meeting up with us any second. Too bad his first proper trip off-world is to a place like this. I'll make it up to him by taking him along if we ever get back to Sedenach. Okay, let's check the monitors and see how they're doing."

He clicks on the screen, and has a few moments satisfaction as he sees their plan coming together as they intended. 

"Looks like Operation Literal Parent Trap is in full swing…" he resists the urge to smugly put this feet up on the dash. 

But then…

"Uh, oh... what are those...no. No, no NO!" Winn shouts.

"What is it?" Alex startles. 

"Uh...we may have a slight problem. Look."

Alex peers over Winn's shoulder at the screen. 

"SHIT," she says. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know old Mon-El, the one from early season 2, was all about self-preservation and needed a push to get him to be heroic. But if you recall, he stood up on Maaldoria when Kara was in danger. And before that with parasite. 
> 
> He may not realize it, but his love for these two ladies is there, and it's motivating his behavior. As is the simple fact that he grew so much between seasons 2 and 3. Even is he can't remember what he went through, he's changed somewhat as a person and it didn't feel right to erase that entirely. 
> 
> Anyway hope everyone is enjoying this!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Mon-El search for Missy.

Her heels click, blue dress swishing, as she walks down the corridor, flanked by a younger woman in uniform. 

"Quite a bounty this season," the elder woman offers. 

"Indeed," says the younger. "The pyloras are nearly all harvested, and the qulo orchard is expected to yield a third more than last year. Most of the trees have reached full maturity."

"Excellent. Thank you for accompanying me, I realize this trip takes you away from your regular duties."

"Not at all. Food security is still security, after all. And this place has been a gift. Made possible by you and your family. Plus, I think we've made important contributions here as well." 

"Yes, I'm given to understand the field hospital has been credited with a significant decline in communicable diseases and mortality in the local population."

"That's correct. And the technology we've provided has led to some significant quality of life improvements for…"

"Attention," a synthetic voice interrupts, its mechanical form entering the room. "Our sentries detected a person of interest in Sector Fourteen."

"A person of interest?" the older woman wonders. 

"Our caretakers apprehended the captive. She will be brought before you presently." 

The two women turn around, surprised to see a blond girl being led into the room by two hovering robotic forms. 

"Hi, Nana. Hi, Auntie Thara," the child says. 

********

"Bathe first," Jo insists, shoving them towards a narrow but surprisingly deep creek. 

"Jo, we don't have time for this!" Kara insists. "Missy's in trouble!" 

"Bots not hurt girl child. Take to Fortress. Jo say!" the alien responds. 

"But, Jo…" Mon-El implores.

Their friend cuts off with another shove each. "Carbon forms must wash off plazrok. Will harden soon!" 

"_That's_ what this stuff is?" Mon-El's eyes widen. "He's right, we have to wash it off. Now."

Kara reads the fear in his eyes and complies, wading into the cool water. "What's...plazrok?" she wonders.

"An advanced building material. When it dries it'll be harder than diamonds," he confirms her fears. "Makes sense they would use it to trap the Snarebeast." 

"Oh." she deflates, frustrated at the detour from their mission. Already she feels the girl's absence. Like a part of her has been cut out. 

Looking down, she sees her entire form is covered in the stuff, except her face. Mon-El is coated from the waist down. 

Reluctantly, she trudges into the water, and Mon-El follows. She does her best to rinse it all out of her hair. 

"Here, let me," Mon-El says. "Lean your head back." Without waiting for a reply, he swims up behind her and begins to run his fingers through her tresses, scrubbing near the scalp and combing through to loosen all the sandy debris. 

She stiffens for a moment, her first instinct to pull away and insist she doesn't need his assistance. But the sensation of his digits against her head feels so calming to her frayed nerves that she can't help but relax against his touch, and tilts her head back into the water as instructed. 

"There," he says when the last of it is gone. She turns around without thinking about it, their eyes meeting for a moment. Until he takes his shirt off. 

"Wh…what are you doing?" she sputters. 

"We have to scrub it out of our clothes," he replies matter-of-factly. "There can't be any residue left. Besides, I think some of it got on my skin. You...should do the same."

"Are you kidding? I'm not getting _undressed_ in front of you."

"Suit yourself, but if you solidify into a statue don't blame me," he's already tossed his laundered shoes on shore, and proceeds to remove his pants. 

Kara averts her eyes as he disrobes. He's right, though. She's pretty sure a lot of this stuff made its way under her uniform. She needs to get it off as soon as possible, so they can focus on getting Missy back. _Damn it. _

"Just...turn around," she demands. 

"Uh…yeah, of course," his eyes widen as he nods awkwardly, shifting to face away from her. Part of him hadn't actually expected her to _do_ it. And now that he was about to be next to her naked body? Turning away was a good idea for...multiple reasons. He sends a prayer of thanks to Rao that he's already neck deep in cold water. He focuses on getting everything as clean as he can, and not he fact that he can sense her next to him..._removing_ things. The feel of her silky hair between his fingers and the sight of her soaking wet, with rivulets of cool water cascading down her face and neck, was problematic enough.

"Jo! You too, don't look," Kara yells as she tosses her saturated boots on shore. The Maaldorian obliges by covering his eyes with his hands. She scrubs out her cape and uniform, deciding the tights are just a loss. To her consternation, even her bra is caked in the stuff, and she has to undress completely to get everything off her skin. She's relieved when she's finally clean, and re-dons her underwear before exiting the creek (double checking no one is looking, even though her black bra and panties could basically double as a bikini). She wrings out her suit as best she can and puts it back on, although her cape weighs a ton now and the squishy feeling of the wet fabric against her skin isn't particularly pleasant. 

"Okay. Decent," she announces at last. 

Mon-El emerges then from the water, also in nothing but his underwear. Kara stops dead at the sight, gaping at his well-muscled form. 

"Are you okay?" he asks as he approaches, trying to do what he can to get his clothes dry before pulling them back on. He raises an eyebrow at her as he pulls his wet shirt back over his head. 

"Y...yeah, let's...let's just get going," she stutters as she forces herself to look away. With difficulty.

********

They're mostly dry by the time they make their way back toward the Fortress. Unlike yesterday, they don't spot anyone coming or going. 

"So, now what?" Mon-El wonders, as they crouch behind a boulder. 

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going in there," the Kryptonian vows.

"We need a plan, Kara. We don't have our powers and we don't know what..._who_ is inside."

"Lady inside. Controls bots. Many bots," Jo says. 

"Are they dangerous?" Kara asks. 

Jo considers this. "...Have...weapons. For defense."

"But...they're definitely not slavers, right?"

"No, Jo say. _No_ more slavers." Kara can't be sure but she thinks she's catches their friend rolling his eyes at having to explain this for a third time.

"Is there another way in?" she wonders. "A back door?"

"No way in bots won't see," he replies softly. 

She sighs. "Look, Mon-El. I don't think there's anything we can do but just...walk right up. I'm not leaving her here."

"Neither am I," he nods with resolve. 

She stands up, reaching out her hand, which he gladly grasps. 

"Okay, here goes nothing," he manages a half-hearted smile at her. 

********

The doors open as they approach, reminding Kara of walking into a supermarket. It almost makes her feel as though they're expected here, and she wonders if Missy told her captors about her unusual traveling party. 

In front of them they see two women, clad in white, wearing headpieces with elaborate veils covering their faces. 

One of the women sits on a shiny black chair, hands on her lap. The other stands to the side protectively. 

When they don't speak, Kara looks at Mon-El, who shrugs and then nods encouragingly. 

"My...name is Kara Zor-El. And this...is Mon-El of Daxam. We are traveling with a child. She was taken, we believe, by sentries serving this facility, and we've come to ask for her return." 

"Are you her parents?" Her voice sounds like it's been modulated, for some reason Kara can't understand. 

"What...us? No...no, that's not likely," Kara awkwardly laughs.

"Not likely?"

"I mean, I guess it's…_theoretically_ possible that one of us…"

"How is it you are uncertain about such a thing?" the woman tilts her head, seemingly curious.

"We...are having some memory issues," Mon-El offers.

"Which is why the child sought to take you to Mount Okr," says the second woman.

"Uh...yes. So she…" Mon-El says.

"She was here," the woman in the chair replies. 

"Was? Where is she now?" Kara inquires.

"She was escorted to her destination," the seated woman says calmly. 

"So...she's just alone on top of a mountain?" Kara says, flabbergasted. 

"No. She is with the Oracle. If you would like to join her, a transport is waiting outside. Otherwise…" 

"Thank you," Mon-El says. "We accept your kind offer."

The women nod and Mon-El grabs Kara's arm to gently lead her back outside. 

"Wait...how do we know we can trust these people?" Kara asks. "We have no idea who they are."

"I thought you were supposed to be the optimistic one and I was supposed to be the cynic."

"Ha, ha." 

"Come on, have a little faith. Like you said, glass half full, right? We have a ride and we know where she is. That's not the worst position we could be in right now."

She sighs. "Okay."

They climb into the open door of the transport and strap in. 

As the vehicle gently rises and whooshes away, Kara lets out a deep, heavy breath, slumping a little and staring at her feet. 

"What's wrong?" Mon-El aks, noticing. 

"It's a good thing I'm never having kids. Because clearly I'd be a terrible mother."

"What? Kara, you've done nothing but try and protect that girl since we've been here."

"I brought her to a dangerous planet, crashed a car with her in it that didn't even have seat belts, and got her kidnapped. Twice!" 

"I don't think you can reasonably be held solely responsible for all of that. No, I'm the one who goaded you into coming, gave you a hard time about the car, and left you in a pit full of goo."

"Mon-El, we never would have made it this far if not for you."

He finds himself inexplicably blushing at the compliment. 

"Well, back at you, person who might be a friend or an enemy," he chuckles lightly.

"We're not enemies," she nearly whispers. 

"No. We're not, are we…" It's not a question. 

They sit there, trying to muster the courage to say anything more. Finally, Mon-El takes a deep breath. "Kara, we...should probably at least consider the possibility that Missy is actually…"

"Don't." She stops him. 

"Don't...what?"

"I…don't want to hope…"

"Really? Because I gotta be honest, hope sort of seems like your bread and butter."

"I have hope for _other_ people. That's easy. But...I don't like being vulnerable. And...the things I do…the life I live, I just don't think I could ever…"

"...Be someone's mom?" 

She gulps heavily and nods. 

"Kara, I think you already _are_."

"No. It's not possible." She shakes her head, defiant. 

"Look, I know you think she's too old, but we still don't know what the hell happened to us. Maybe somehow we've lost more time than we think. And she looks...I mean she's _exactly_ like you. Right down to her stubbornness. Besides...if there was someone at the DEO looking for her, don't you think they would have come and found us by now? Sent out a search party? Transmat portals always keep activity logs. They must know where we went, and yet...here we are, still screwing around on Maaldoria. I mean these are people who held guns on me yesterday and then told me I was their friend. They don't seem the type to just sit around _not_ looking for some poor agent's missing child."

It's something she hadn't considered until now, and she stares blankly at him. 

"Unless one of her parents is here with her, you mean," she finishes. 

"Exactly. You said she was calling for her mother, what if she meant…"

"...Well...how do we know it's not you?" she interrupts.

"Me? Uh, _no_," he waves his hands dismissively. "I mean I would have to send condolences to whatever poor woman got stuck procreating with _me_, of all people."

"You're not _so_ bad," she shrugs. "I mean, you're not my cup of tea, but Missy seems to like you just fine." Her eyes meet his, gauging his reaction. 

He stares at her, then exhales before continuing. 

"There's also...the matter of your necklace," he ventures, looking back at her with a softness that makes butterflies take wing in her stomach.

"I _still_ think you might have stolen it," she snarks, trying to tamp the feeling back down. 

"Kara…"

She looks at him, _really_ looks at him, words bubbling up in her throat. But she just...can't. 

She turns back down at her feet. "I don't know what that means. Neither one of us knows what any of this means." 

He opens his mouth to speak, but at that moment the transport stops dead, and the door opens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So have I checked all my fic trope boxes yet? 
> 
> Sticking them in a car together, making them dance, getting them drunk, there was only one bed/mat/thing...and now of course accidental nakedness! 
> 
> Sorry, couldn't quite work in them opening a coffee shop together. 
> 
> Well, I do have at least one more box to check...hmm...


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're still just a girl from Krypton and a boy from Daxam, figuring it all out together.

"Come on," Kara says, unbuckling and exiting without even looking at him. 

He watches her go mournfully, and with growing frustration. But, lacking anything else to do, he follows her outside. 

The shuttle has dropped them just below the summit, and they walk up the last hundred yards or so.

"Do you see anything?" Mon-El wonders. "I was expecting...I dunno, a house or temple or something."

"No, but...look. There's a cave entrance, I think," she replies. 

It's as good a lead as any, so they cautiously approach. 

"Missy?!" Kara calls out. "Are you in here?" 

They hear no reply, but there's a light emanating from somewhere inside. They decide to take a chance, and head down the tunnel, which culminates in a larger circular space with a high ceiling. There are torches lit along the walls, and a round stone altar of some kind in the center. 

"This must not be it," Kara sighs, sweeping around the room just in case there's something she's missing here. "Let's go back out and keep searching."

"Wait…" he stops her. "What's that?" He points at the altar, on which, she now realizes, someone has placed a shiny circular object. 

"What the hell…?" she slowly walks toward the thing…the gold, jewel-encrusted circlet she's seen a thousand times before. "No...this…this is impossible." Hands trembling, she reaches for it, half-expecting it to be a mirage of some kind. 

But it's not. Her fingers sense the coolness of the metal as they wrap around it, and the gemstones sparkle in the dim light of the torches.

"What is it?" Mon-El asks.

"It's...my mother's wedding bracelet."

"But...you said your mother died…"

"She did. In the destruction…"

He sidles up to her, and holds his hand out. He sees a tear sliding down her face, and his heart twinges in his chest. "May I?" he asks, hopefully.

She looks up at him, and shakily nods, placing the beautiful circlet in his outstretched palm. 

He gently grasps her left hand, gives it a tiny squeeze, then gingerly slides the band onto her wrist. 

Out of nowhere, images begin to flash before her eyes, and she flinches in response. Like in her dream, they're just snapshots. Quick jolts with no context. 

She's kissing Missy's scraped knee, somewhere not on Earth. 

She's handing a newborn over to Mon-El, whose grey eyes are watery with joy. 

She's being tackled on a vast green lawn by a tiny blond boy and two dark haired older children. 

She's on Sedenach. With him. The hem of her white dress is fluttering gently in the breeze. She sees him, clean shaven and effortlessly handsome in a crisp grey suit, smiling and biting his bottom lip with excitement. She's wearing her own bracelet...which looks almost exactly like this one. 

"Mon-El…" she starts to break down. Looking at him, she realizes he must be going through something similar. His eyes are welling up, and his hands are shaking.

"What, are you _ scared_?" he jokes. 

"Yes," she replies, tears now streaming down her face. 

"I guess...we just need to have a little faith, then." 

"...And hope?" 

He shrugs with a wistful smile. "I've followed you this far, haven't I?"

"That's true," she acknowledges. "Even though I'm a self-righteous, elitist pain in the ass..."

"...and I'm the Frat Boy of the Universe..."

She can't help but laugh along, through her tears. 

"I...just…I've spent my life on Earth never really believing that I could ever have…" She sighs, looking down at her feet. 

"...A husband? And children?" 

She freezes, shocked at hearing those words aloud. He places a finger under her chin and tilts her face towards his.

"But we...that's...that's _crazy," _she says_. "_We're so...I mean, we're _really_..."

"Different?"

"...Yeah. And we just met yesterday...except...we didn't, obviously, I know, but..."

"...Kara, do you...do you want it _not_ to be true?" A tinge of fear creeps into his voice, and he holds his breath. 

She looks up at him, eyes wide, and shakes her head. "I...that's not what I meant." He relaxes slightly at her words.

"Because I...I know this seems absurd," he continues. "But there's..._something_ here. Something I think we've both been trying very hard to ignore since the moment we met. And...I don't think I want to do that any more...with you."

"Wh...what if we're wrong?" she manages, barely. "What if it's something else?"

"Well, then I'm sure you'll be very relieved to know that you've never been bedded by the Prince of Daxam…"

Another small laugh bubbles up from her gut, and she playfully swats at his good shoulder. He takes a half step closer, so there's little space between them. 

Kara chews her lip, somewhat violently. "If this _is_ real...then I think you might have done a _lot_ more than that...as in..." She raises the back of her hand to her forehead, overwhelmed to the point that she's having trouble even looking him in the eye. 

"...I might be Missy's father? She's a pretty exceptional kid, so...I think...maybe I'd be okay with that." He gulps slightly, belying his own words. 

"Really? What happened to 'I'm not husband material?' and 'condolences to whoever got stuck procreating with me?'"

"Oh, I _stand by_ those statements. But having terrible taste in men is _your_ problem, not mine." 

Kara laughs louder this time, and he joins her. Before her annoyance resurfaces. "Can you be serious for a second?"

"That _was_ serious. And you're _definitely_ getting a condolence card after all this, one way or the other."

"Mon-El..." she chides, without any real bite to it. 

"Look, if it _is_ true...then I can think of worse things than being married to someone brave, and kind, and beautiful, and hopeful, who's raised a smart and self-sufficient daughter," he praises. 

"And...I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if I had a husband who was funny, and resourceful, and sweet, and would put his life on the line to protect me and my..._hypothetical_ daughter."

"There's only one way to find out, I think," he says. "You want to give it a go?" He wraps one arm around the small of her back, giving her a chance to push him away. 

She takes a deep breath, trying to collect herself. "I do..." she nods. 

She steps forward to bridge the rest of the distance, and tilts her head up towards his. 

The second their lips meet, the flood begins. Birthdays, Christmases, Nova Cycles, first days of school, Sunday morning breakfasts and afternoons on the playground. 

And the two of them. Holding each other, kissing tears away, saving the day and racing home to make love in the bed they share. 

The pain of their separation. The joy of finding each other again. 

The longer they kiss, the hungrier they become. Not just for more of each other's lips, but for more of the memories. The life they've built together, their marriage and family and home. And everything else, all that's happened for the last decade and a half. Argo, the Legion, the future, Lena and James, Winn and Eve, Alex and her wife and son. 

When they're finally able to pull away, breathless, they lean their foreheads against each other. 

"Hi, wife."

"Hi, husband."

"_FINALLY_," Missy...no, _ Allie_…pipes in. "I thought you two would _ never _ sort it out. Can we go home now?"

Startled, they turn toward the entrance to the cave, where Allie is standing there, arms crossed, flanked by Jo, Alex, Winn, James, Alura and Thara Ak-Var, her good friend from Argo. 

"Mom...that's...what are _ you _ doing here?" Kara wonders. 

"I'm always here this time of the cycle. For the harvest. Your doing, remember?"

"Right...sorry, my memories are still righting themselves." She wracks her brain for a second, flipping through her mental inventory. Until it comes back to her…"Mon-El and I…we...brokered a trade deal...between Argo and Maaldoria."

"That's right. Now we have fresh produce we hadn't been able to grow since the planet was lost. And we've helped make things better here as well."

"Safe here now. People happy. Jo thanks Carbon Forms."

"Wait," Mon-El says. "So...all of you…you brought us here to what, trick us into falling in love again, so we'd remember?"

"Yeah, basically," Winn shrugs. "It was Allie's idea. She knew if she just got you to work together, those old feelings would shine through."

"You know," James adds, "If you didn't kill each other first."

"Hold on…" Kara says, noticing James's outfit and image inducer. "You were the guy in the trap? I got covered in gunk because of you!"

"Sorry about that," he sheepishly replies. 

"Yeah, a few things went awry along the way," Alex explains. "The spider was a hologram, but we used a real trap we found, and we didn't know about that sticky stuff at the bottom. We enlisted Jo's help after you guys ran into him, but..." she glances at the Maaldorian. 

"Carbon forms asked for help finding trap. Carbon forms not say what for," Jo shrugs.

"And we weren't counting on kelexes finding Allie and dragging her back to your Mom," Winn continues. "In fact, it had not occurred to us your mom would even _ be _ here."

"It's all right, I enjoyed seeing my granddaughter. And any day I get to wear a costume in service of helping my family is a good day." She smiles and steps forward to hug the happy couple. "I'm so glad you found each other again." 

"Thanks, Mom," she squeezes Alura around the shoulders. "Oh, and I believe this is yours," Kara hands the bracelet back to her mother. 

"Of course. Tell you what, when we're all wrapped up here, I'll bring a bushel of vegetables to Earth and we can have a home cooked Kryptonian meal, all together. And I'll teach your husband here how to make sweet qulo pie for dessert." She winks at her son-in-law, who smiles in response. 

"I'd love that," Kara sighs. "But first...I think we both need to go home and get some rest."

"And time with the kids," Mon-El chimes in. 

"And...maybe a little alone time. If you don't mind trying that fireman carry again," Kara raises her eyebrows suggestively. 

"Hmm…maybe after I get a little yellow sun time to fix my shoulder. And my feet. Plus,you have to promise not to kick me in the junk again."

"Oh, don't worry, I have _ other _ plans for…"

"Uhhh...we're all still standing _ right _ here, you know…" Winn pipes in. 

"Sorry," Kara cringes slightly. 

Allie groans loudly. "Okay. Home, please. And I'm gonna need a note with a fake excuse for school. I don't think they'll buy that I missed class because I had to go to another planet and help my parents re-fall in love with each other."

Kara and Mon-El sigh, and follow their family members out of the cave. 

In the transport back to the portal, Kara rests her head on her husband's shoulder. "You know I'm remembering now...before we got whammied, J'onn was telling us we need to get to the root of our problem. The reason we were fighting. And I think it's simply because..."

"We missed each other," Mon-El says, intertwining their fingers. 

"Right." 

"Well, let's work a little harder to make time for one another," Mon-El says. "And, of course, our four little troublemakers." He wraps an arm around Allie. 

"I've missed you guys, too," she says. "I guess if there's one up side to this, I got to spend a bunch of quality time with you on this trip. But next time you guys need an off-world Odyssey, the twins or John can take care of it. I've got other stuff going on in my life, you know."

"Gotta say I'm a little bummed there's no Oracle," Mon-El says, chuckling at her. "Guess our daughter is turning into a practiced fibber, though. So...there's _that_."

"What fib? I told you someone up there would know the past, present and future. Which I _do_," Allie says, with a playful bow. "And you're welcome, by the way."

"We're really going to have to keep an eye on you, huh, _Missy_?" Kara gives her a wry smile. "You're getting a little too good at trickery for my taste."

"Well, Madam 'Glasses Disguise,' I learned from the best."

"_Yes, very funny_, sweetie." She settles into her seat, then pops up with a gasp.

"What is it?" Mon-El wonders.

"Which one of us is gonna tell J'onn I totalled his spaceship-car?"

"Not it..." says everyone in unison. Everyone except Winn. 

"Aww, man..." he slumps. Is there maybe a space Triple-A in this part of the galaxy?"

********

They're all so exhausted that Alex ends up driving the whole Danvers clan back to Midvale. Besides, they'll need some time under the yellow sun before they're back to normal. All three fall asleep in the car, and Alex carries Allie to bed while her super parents trudge in like zombies, hugging the other three kids and then shuffling off to their bedroom. 

Just before they close the bedroom door, Alex hears Mon-El ask Kara, "Hey, so what was that you were saying about _never ever_ going 'dancing' with a Daxamite?" followed promptly by a "Keep talking and you'll find out, frat boy..." and a quick "Yes, Ma'am" in response. Then laughter and the spring-creak sound of the two of them flopping into bed. 

Chuckling, Alex shakes her head and sits down on the couch.

"So…what happened, exactly?" Eliza wonders aloud, after watching the scene play out and reporting out on J'onn's condition (still recovering), Superman's assistance to the National City Police during Kara's absence, and the fact that the younger children have all been fed, and finished their homework (and in the case of the twins been fully disciplined regarding their school suspension).

"Ah, well, let's see, memory wipe, giant fake spider, robot abduction, orchestrating an off-world wild goose chase to play Cupid to my trouble-magnet sister and brother-in-law," the younger Danvers explains as she plunks down on the couch. "So, you know, the usual."

"Oh," Eliza replies, unfazed. "Well, I hope you all had a good time." 

"We kinda did, actually."

"That's nice. Want a cup of coffee?" 

"You know what? That sounds great. Thanks, Mom."

"Sure, honey. Oh, and by the way, for future reference, banya root tea usually does the trick for curing telepathic memory loss. So...maybe try that next time."

Alex sighs, sinking further into the couch. "And...how is it you've never mentioned this before?"

"You never asked, sweetie."

"Right." Alex rubs the bridge of her nose in utter frustration. "I'll take that coffee now, if that's okay. And maybe Irish it up a bit, please?"

"Sure thing, love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope your enjoyed this!
> 
> And don't worry, J'onn's car is okay. I figure they can just shapeshift it back to how it was. 
> 
> But I couldn't resist the joke...


End file.
